YuGiOh! 5D's: The Ark Cradle Arc Rewrite
by GoldenUmi
Summary: The Ark Cradle arc from the anime in a way you have never seen it before. The story starts the same, but shifts completely in the second chapter. This story is the prequel to the "Beyond the Future" sequel I am also writing. Contains slight crossovers that will lead into my sequel, Beyond the Future, and other planned works. But these crossovers are not the main focus.
1. The Ark Cradle

**GU: This story is meant to take place before the "Beyond the Future" sequel I am currently writing. I apologize that much of this chapter is the same as the anime. In a few chapters, the story will change quite a bit, so be patient until then. Thanks! **

**Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's: The Ark Cradle Rewrite**

**Chapter 1: "The Ark Cradle"**

_What defines right and wrong?_

A man thought those words as he stood in the center of a bright room whiter than the purest of lights. Despite thinking such deep thoughts, an expression was not visible on the man's face. This was because his entire face was concealed by a metallic mask. If his face could be seen, however, it would no doubt have an expression hinting sorrow, grief, and confusion.

In a location far away from the man in question, another man wore such an expression.

One would question if this being could even be called a "man." He was far larger than any ordinary human being, roughly three times bigger to be exact. His body had a metallic gleam to it, and his chest looked as if it were forged by a mechanic. His shoulders were massive in size, far wider than any other part of his already larger-than-average body. His unnatural looking maroon-grey hair defied gravity and did not falter in the rough winds around him. Perhaps the most intriguing thing about this man was his facial features that consisted of a green gem planted upon his forehead and red, empty-looking eyes.

Despite his menacing appearance, this monstrous being appeared to be in disbelief. His mouth was open and his soulless eyes were widened. The cause behind his distress was the three dragons that hovered above him in the dark, red sky. Underneath those dragons was a young man riding upon a red motorcycle. He was wearing a blue jacket with dark grey clothing underneath. His blue eyes stared back at the machine-man monster riding a much larger motorcycle opposite to him in sheer confidence.

The mechanical being with the name Aporia gritted his teeth as he faced Yusei Fudo and his three dragons. Above Aporia was a much larger machine that had a very futuristic appearance to it.

"They're all together!"

Riding not far away from Yusei Fudo was a man around the same age named Crow Hogan. He had orange hair and grey-blue colored eyes. He was wearing a red-brown jacket and he rode atop a yellow and black motorcycle.

"Our bonds!"

Next to Crow Hogan was Jack Atlas. He had blonde hair and purple colored eyes. He was wearing a white body suit with purple boarding that matched his eyes. He was also riding on a motorcycle called a D-Wheel that had a more circular appearance than the others.

"This is our hope!" Yusei Fudo cried out, accompanied by three loud roars emitted from the dragons flying above his head.

"To think he could Summon all three Synchro Monsters at once in those circumstances..." Aporia mumbled to himself, still looking surprised. "Is this the power of a Signer?"

"Let's go, Aporia!" Yusei cried. "No matter how much despair you try to throw at us, we'll never lose our hope!"

"Now we've revived all three of our Monsters!" Crow called out with a satisfied look on his face.

"Go on, Yusei!" Jack yelled over to his friend.

"Yeah!" Yusei nodded as he motioned toward the three dragons with a wave of his arm. "I activate Black Feather Dragon's effect! By removing all of the Black Feather Counters attached to it, the opposing Monster's Attack Power is reduced by 700 points for every counter removed. In addition, the opponent receives damage equal to the amount of points it loses! Black Feather Dragon has two Black Feather Counters remaining! Meaning Machinicle's Attack Power will go down by 1400 points! "

Aporia was speechless as he watched the data on his machine creature fall.

**(Machinicle's Attack Power (ATK): 4000 - 2600)**

"And you'll suffer the same amount as damage! Black Burst!"

As Yusei said this, the black bird-like dragon behind him flapped its feathery wings and unleashed a giant ball of black energy that crashed into Aporia's metal chest. The energy expanded and sent red sparks dancing over his shiny skin. He grunted slightly, but maintained his composure.

**(Aporia's Life Points (LP): 4000 - 2600)**

"And after losing the Black Feather Counters," Crow cut in, explaining the abilities of his dragon, "Black Feather Dragon's Attack Power goes up 1400 points!"

**(Black Feather Dragon's ATK: 1400 - 2800)**

"With that, Black Feather Dragon's Attack Power surpassed Machinicle's!" Crow hollered, accompanied by a large grin.

"Black Feather Dragon!" Yusei screamed at the top of his lungs with a fierce expression. "Attack Mechlord Astro Machinicle! Noble Stream!"

Black Feather Dragon released a red and black energy stream from its mouth. It crashed into the machine monster, shattering its shield and exploding off its arm. The force from the explosion collided with Aporia's massive arms. Unable to hide his pain, Aporia couldn't help releasing a much louder groan than the one he released earlier.

**(Aporia's LP: 2600 - 2400)**

"I activate Mechlord Astro Machinicle's Effect!" Aporia screamed, regaining his composure. "I remove a part of the Mechlord Emperors in my Cemetery from play in order to negate Machinicle's destruction! I banish Grannel Guard!"

A card appeared in front of Aporia before being swallowed up by a black hole.

"Yusei, take the match!" Jack Atlas called out to Yusei.

"Go, Scar-Red Nova Dragon! Burning Soul!"

The larger red-colored dragon began spinning upward, engulfing its body in hot flames. It collided right into Machnicle, diving right through its left arm. Aporia once again felt the pain as he shielded his face with his bulky arms.

**(Aporia's LP: 2400 - 500)**

"Mechlord Astro Machinicle's effect! I remove Grannel Attack from play! I negate Machinicle's destruction!"

As like before, a card was sucked into a black hole.

Aporia could no longer regain his composure. His eyes began twitching, and he broke into a cold sweat.

"This is absurd...! You're telling me that I've _lost_...?!"

"Aporia!"

Aporia growled as he looked toward his enemy.

"Our hope has surpassed your despair!"

Aporia narrowed his eyes as his enemies glared daggers into him.

"This is the final attack!" Yusei screamed into the sky, raising his closed fist. "Go! Shooting Star Dragon! Stardust Mirage!"

On command, a glowing dragon soared into the air, scattering a glittery dust behind it. Its body split into five, each a different color of the rainbow. Like a collage of missiles, they shot down toward Machinicle, crushing it into scrap metal. Aporia's eyes widened with terror as this happened.

The resulting explosion was catastrophic. Aporia and his three-headed D-Wheel were consumed by hot, yellow flames.

**(Aporia's LP: 500 - 0)**

The force was so strong that it momentarily blew away the red-black clouds in the sky, revealing a spiral-shaped castle floating in the background. Aporia desperately reached his hand up toward the castle, as if he could grab it.

"After coming this far, you're telling me our plan has failed...?!"

The three men came to screeching halt as they watched Aporia fly off the nearby dock, covered in flames. His huge body instantly sank like a stone. Yusei and his friends did not turn their gaze away as Aporia's body exploded underneath the ocean's surface. The force was strong enough to send waves crashing along the coastline.

And so he sank further and further to the bottom of the ocean. Aporia's entire world went black as the green gem on his forehead faded, revealing what appeared to be a computer motherboard underneath.

Back in the white-colored room inside the floating castle above, the masked man sighed as he watched his subordinate fall to his death.

"Lives end so quickly…" he said in a quiet voice, so low he could barely hear himself.

**BREAK**

Yusei, Jack, and Crow all turned to face one another. The fire still danced atop the ocean's surface behind them. The three young men smiled and called out to one another.

"You did it," Jack complimented.

"Yeah! We won!" Yusei replied with a much softer expression than he had earlier.

The three bumped their fists together in a sign of friendship and accomplishment.

As if blessed by the heavens, the red sky opened up, revealing the bright sun and a clear, blue sky. The castle from earlier was nowhere to be seen.

Not far away, excited voices echoed throughout a dome-shaped stadium. Up in the booth stood a man with an enormous pompadour. He was dressed in a red disco suit. He was known as the Master of Ceremonies, often called MC for short.

"It has finally been decided!" Master of Ceremonies shouted into his microphone. "We have reached the much anticipated result of the W.R.G.P.! This is most certainly a historical moment for the textbooks! A grand champion has risen amongst the group! The D-Wheelers standing at the top are... Team 5D's!"

The entire city exploded with a round of cheers that extended throughout the entire premises. The remaining four members of the team Yusei, Jack, and Crow belonged to, known as Team 5D's, raised their arms in celebration.

"We did it!"

One of the members was a small 11-year-old girl named Ruka Heartlily. She had a small, fragile looking body and petite arms and legs. She had bright green hair that was tied into cute-looking pigtails. She was wearing a red-black jacket over a yellow shirt. She also wore white, baggy shorts. She had a red and black hat on her head with the initials "5D's".

Ruka giggled happily as her twin brother, Rua Heartlily, danced around excitedly beside her. Rua looked very similar to his sister, though less feminine. His hair was the same, but he had his tied into a large ponytail. His outfit was similar to Ruka's, though he did not have a hat and he was wearing grey pants.

"We…!" Happy tears left the boy's eyes as he lost his words.

"Aww!" Ruka patted her brother as she continued to giggle.

Beside the children was a man with blue hair and blue-grey eyes. Though his eyes were cold and blank, he was wearing a friendly smile on his face as he watched Rua's antics. His name was Bruno, the super mechanic of Team 5D's. He was wearing a similar red-black jacket and a "5D's" hat on his head.

Standing by Bruno was Aki Izayoi, the second female member of the team. She had maroon-colored hair and shiny, light brown eyes. She was mimicked Bruno's smile. She was also wearing a red-black jacket. She had on a pair of tight, red short-shorts over a pair of black leggings.

"You did it, Yusei…" Aki whispered, her smile growing even wider.

Up in the broadcast room, a short man with unusual paintings on his face skipped about cheerfully. He looked like a clown and his wild, light purple hair only added to his odd appearance.

"Excellent! Excellent job making it this far, Team 5D's! Peace has returned to Neo Domino City!"

The odd-looking clown named Yeager smiled brightly and shot off party confetti.

"Here they are!" Master of Ceremonies continued commenting. "Jack Atlas! Crow Hogan! And Yusei Fudo!"

The three men drove into the stadium on their D-Wheels.

The three were participating in a tournament that played one of the most popular trading card games in the entire world, known as Duel Monsters. Decades earlier, this card game was started by a man named Pegasus J. Crawford of the wealthiest company in the gaming industry, Industrial Illusions. Its creator based its designs on Ancient Egyptian culture, but the game had evolved far beyond that in present time. Those who played this card game were referred to as Duelists. What once began as a game had now become a widespread profession among enthusiasts, who treated the game as a sport. In the present timeline, the game evolved even further, spawning what was known as Riding Duels. Riding Duels were a form of Dueling in which Duelists used their D-Wheels to compete with advanced rules and more intensity. Duelists who practiced Riding Duels were referred to as D-Wheelers.

What was supposed to be a friendly tournament quickly became a battle to save the city called Neo Domino City from destruction against a group of mysterious individuals. These individuals, known as Yliaster, claimed to have come from a ruined future, one where all of humanity perished. They were trying to destroy Neo Domino City for their own reasons, reasons they believed would save the future and erase that reality from existence. Yusei and his friends believed this was wrong and fought against this organization with all they had to prevent this from happening. Despite being badly beaten and dirtied, they had succeeded in their war.

"Yusei!"

Yusei looked up and saw little Ruka running toward him, with the rest of Team 5D's right behind her.

"Jack! Crow!" Rua called out to the other two, who returned the smile.

"You guys did it!" Ruka called out, beaming happily.

Yusei and Crow flashed their friends a victorious thumbs-up.

"Yeah!" Yusei responded.

Crow said nothing, merely giggling gleefully.

"Jack!"

"Atlas-_sama_!"

Jack looked up and saw three girls running toward him while shouting his name. He knew them very well.

The first girl was Carly Nagisa, the girl Jack had come to develop feelings toward. She had dark green, almost black, hair that flowed down to her lower back. Though she had beautiful eyes, she chose to hide them behind nerdy swirly-glasses. She was a person who did not like to stand out too much. She was wearing a yellow vest over a blue shirt with white strips. She also wore a pair of blue jeans. Though Jack had feelings for her, he was unable to express his feelings due to his dodgy personality and prideful demeanor.

The second woman was named Mikage Sagiri. She was the chief of the police squad, but acted like a fangirl around Jack Atlas. She had a one-sided crush on the man ever since she first met him. Mikage had blue hair and olive colored eyes. She was wearing her work uniform that consisted of a blue jacket over a white blouse and a blue skirt.

The third girl was the newest member of Jack's harem, a teenager named Stephanie. She worked as a waitress at a nearby café called Café la Green, a café affiliated with the famous Blue-Eyes Mountain coffee store branch. She had dirty blonde hair and brown eyes. Stephanie began to crush on Jack when she served him coffee at her work every day.

The three girls circled around their hero. Jack flashed them a friendly smile.

"You did it, Jack!" Carly admired.

"Atlas-_sama_!" Mikage fangasmed.

"You were lovely!" Stephanie complimented.

"It's an obvious result," Atlas bloated, patting himself on the back.

Knowing how cocky Jack was, Crow couldn't help but look toward Yusei and chuckle.

"Team 5D's."

The members of Team 5D's looked up when they heard a low, smooth voice call out to them. The voice belonged to Harald, a light-blue haired man with light brown eyes. He was wearing a white, tidy-looking suit jacket. Beside him was a Brave, a spiky orange-red haired man with green eyes. He was wearing a yellow vest over an orange dress shirt. Standing to Harald's left was Dragan, a man with spiky black and yellow hair and purple was wearing a black jacket over a green shirt.

"Team Ragnarok," Yusei called out, acknowledging the team they Dueled against in the World Riding Grand Prix Semi-Finals.

"You finally made it," Harald continued, wearing a friendly smile.

"Are you guys giving us your blessing?" Crow asked.

"Isn't that obvious?" Brave asked sarcastically, raising his closed fist.

Crow grinned and bumped his fist against the man's. "Then we accept!"

"Congratulations to all of you."

Another man appeared, this one more husky and muscular than any of the others. He had grey-brown hair and blue eyes. He was dressed in a fancy black suit with a blue bowtie around his neck. His name was Mizoguchi, a butler to the LeBlanc family in France. His master, Sherry LeBlanc, had previously gone missing a few months earlier.

"Mizoguchi! You returned?" Yusei inquired, looking happy to see the gentleman.

After Sherry vanished into a worm hole, Mizoguchi had been traveling around the world to find a way to save her.

"I did." Mizoguchi bowed politely toward the people standing in front of him.

Yusei looked around at all of his friends complimenting him. He smiled brightly. "Thanks, everyone."

Carly lifted the camera she always carried with her, watching the scene around her carefully. "Gotta collect data on the decisive moment!" She began flashing her camera rapidly.

Brave nudged Crow's arm jokingly. "But you know, you guys are a hella mess! You coulda' taken a little less damage out there."

"Don't gimme that." Crow rolled his eyes. "As if any of you guys would've done better."

"Don't be so sure of that!" Brave grabbed Crow's head in a playful headlock. Crow struggled to get lose, laughing. Harald said nothing, chuckling to himself as he watched the two.

"You did a good job out there, former King!" Dragan bellowed out to Jack Atlas. "But don't think our score is settled!"

"Bring it on!" Jack grinned. "I'll take you on whenever you want!"

The former enemies now locked arms casually. Though they were still rivals, they no longer appeared to hate one another.

Off to the side, Aki shyly walked up to Yusei, who was watching his friends conversing with each other. She darted her eyes around nervously and had a slight blush on her face.

"Yusei…"

Yusei looked toward the girl and gave her a warm smile.

"I'm glad you're safe…"

Aki's voice was drowned out by the shouts of Rua and Ruka, who ran over and grabbed Yusei's arm. They were cheering his name and giggling cheerfully.

"Yusei, you were so cool out there!" Ruka gushed.

"Yeah, totally!" Rua laughed. "You need to teach me more of your strategies!"

"Sure, when I have time." Yusei patted the boy's head like an older brother while smiling over at Ruka.

Aki couldn't help but sigh, wishing she could trade places with the kids. Yusei heard her sigh and lifted his head to face her.

"Oh, Aki, what were you saying?"

The twins saw Aki and quickly apologized for interrupting her.

"Go ahead, Big Sis Aki!" Rua insisted, raising his hands politely.

"Aki-_san_, what were you gonna say?" Ruka winked toward the older girl, knowing exactly what she wanted to say.

"Ah, I forgot. It wasn't that important," Aki laughed nervously.

Yusei and Rua appeared confused, both rubbing their hands on their chins. Ruka stared at the two in disbelief, wondering how men could possibly be so dense. She gave Aki a disciplining look before walking over and yanking Rua away from Yusei's side. Ruka then dragged Yusei over to where Aki was standing. Aki gave her a puzzled look as Ruka pushed her toward Yusei.

"Ruka, what are you…?" Yusei muttered, blushing slightly.

"Ruka-_chan_?!" Aki's face was far redder now.'

"What's the big deal, Ruka?! Geez!" Rua grumbled, pulling himself away from his sister's tight grip.

"I'm feeling hungry," Ruka complained, flashing her brother a cute smile. "Rua, buy me something to eat."

"Why should I?"

"Because I'm your adorable little sister. Why else?" Ruka commented, pushing her brother away from the two older teens.

Yusei and Aki, nearly touching one another, looked away from each other nervously as they watched Ruka push her moaning brother away.

"J-Jack and Crow were pretty good out there, weren't they?" Yusei chuckled, attempting to change the subject.

"Y-Yeah, they were."

As the two made no progress whatsoever, Jack and Carly were in a similar situation.

"Jack…" the girl said softly, grabbing his hand.

"Y-Yes, what is it?" Jack replied, maintaining his cool composure.

"Jack!"

"Atlas-_sama_!"

Before Carly even had a chance, the other two members of Jack's harem pushed her out of the way. Carly pouted as she watched them gush over the man. Carly forced a grin and took a picture of herself in front of Jack and the other two girls.

The celebrating team members were interrupted by the voice of Master of Ceremonies over the intercom.

"_Now, we invite all participating members to attend the W.R.G.P. After Party being hosted by the Public Security Maintenance Bureau in one hour! We hope to see all of you there!"_

Team 5D's walked toward their base, Poppy Time, as they laughed and joked with one another. As he listened to his friends, Yusei looked up toward the beautiful sky and smiled.

_With this, Yliaster's ambition should be gone_, he thought to himself, almost trying to reassure himself.

**BREAK**

"_Welcome, everyone!"_

MC's voice echoed throughout the inside of the Public Security Maintenance Bureau building, the organization created to uphold peace within Neo Domino City. The dining room was filled to the brim with Duelists, staff, and sponsors who played a part in the World Riding Grand Prix. The room was noticeably tacky, with decorations in every corner.

"_Before we start the feast, we have many participating teams in the W.R.G.P. who would like to personally congratulate Team 5D's for their glorious win. Team 5D's, will you please take your seats at the winner's table?"_

As he said this, he pointed toward a table located at the front of the room, just below the stage. It was covered by a red table cloth with gold siding. Red velvet chairs were lined on each side.

The members of Team 5D's walked toward the red0golden table, looking quite excited. Crow Hogan, in particular. When he laid his eyes on the expensive looking material, his eyes nearly popped out of his head.

"Whoa, are we really gonna eat at this fancy-ass looking table?! Seriously, I haven't seen anything this tacky in my entire life!"

Crow, like his friends Yusei and Jack, grew up dirt poor in Satellite, the second half of Neo Domino City, formerly known as just Domino City. It was split during the Zero Reverse incident, a tragedy that killed thousands of people. Satellite was left out of the technological growth of Neo Domino City, and its citizens were discriminated against. Money was not something they had the luxury of. When Yusei and his friends saved Neo Domino City from the Dark Signers, Satellite was connected to the city, changing the situation altogether.

Present day Crow was now given the chance to experience wealth first hand. He happily rubbed his hand over the velvet chair, tears dripping down his face overdramatically.

"Is this what real velvet feels like?! I'm so honored!"

Jack Atlas, on the other hand, did not appear nearly as moved as his friend. He used to reign as King of Riding Duels in Japan, so he was fortunate enough to have been able to enjoy wealth and fame, despite his upbringing in Satellite. Jack shook his head at Crow's reaction.

"Really, how can you make such a fuss over something so sma-"

Jack's voice trailed off when he saw two items sitting on the table that were addressed to him. One of those items was a package of instant cup ramen. The other item was a cup of hot Blue-Eyes Mountain premium coffee. Jack lost his trail of thought and ran over to the items excitedly, screaming for joy. He tore open his package of cup ramen viciously, seeing it was the rare hot spicy noodle kind, his favorite flavor.

Aki rolled her eyes at the two men. "Will you two please act more mature?"

"Crow, you need to come hang out at our house more often," Rua said nonchalantly. "We have a ton of velvet furniture and all kinds of other stuff. We are in the Tops, after all."

Tops was the wealthiest section of Neo Domino City. Even the ordinary citizens were envious of them.

Crow continued to sob when he heard Rua's comment, wiping away his tears with his forearm. "You kids don't even know how precious your own furniture is!"

"Guys, hurry it up," Yusei interrupted flatly. "There's a long line of people waiting to greet us."

After hearing their leader, Crow and Jack calmed themselves down. The members of Team 5D's took their seats. They quickly noticed that Yusei was not over-exaggerating when he mentioned the length of the line. Long may have been an understatement.

The first to greet 5D's was one of the teams that lost earlier in the tournament, known as Team Fortune Ark. Jack, Aki, and Crow saw them once during the exhibition match against Team Ragnarok, though they never interacted.

The leader of the team, a woman whose face was concealed by a pink veil, stepped forward and extended her hand. Yusei shook it, smiling at the woman.

"Greetings, Team 5D's." the woman introduced herself in an Egyptian accent. "We are Team Fortune Ark from Egypt. We congratulate you on your outstanding victory." She bowed politely after she spoke.

The two men standing beside her also bowed.

"Yes, it is a shame we were never able to Duel against you," the first man with black hair tied into a ponytail continued.

"Maybe one of these days it will come to pass," the second bald man added.

"Thank you," Yusei replied. "Who knows, maybe we will meet each other again on the battlefield."

The greetings continued just like this, each team paying their respects. The other teams were people that did not interact much with them during the tournament, as they were paired against other teams. They greeted 5D's in this order respectfully; Team Mantis, Team White Tiger, Team Lightning, Team White Wind, Team Burning, Team The Arm, and Team Small Field.

The final team stepped up, known as Team Black Baron. The leader was a man wearing a black suit accompanied by a black top hat. He had brown hair and green eyes. Beside him was another man wearing a black suit. He had wild blonde hair and blue eyes. The third man had blue hair and narrow purple eyes. He was wearing a navy blue suit.

"You guys were something else!" the leader chimed, taking off his hat and bowing. He chuckled loudly as he finished his statement.

"Thank you for your kind words," Jack responded, nodding his head politely.

The blue-haired man took a step forward, also bowing his head.

"I find you guys pretty entertaining," he said, wearing a confident smile. "I hope we get the chance to meet in the near future."

On the other side of the table, Rua leaned forward and whispered into his sister's ear.

"Hey, doesn't that guy look a little suspicious?"

Ruka rolled her eyes at her brother's question. "Rua, whispering only works when the person isn't standing directly in front of you."

Rua looked up and saw the blue-haired gentleman staring down at him with a stern expression on his face.

"U-Uh, I was talking about… that guy!"

Rua quickly pointed toward Yeager, the director of the Public Security Maintenance Bureau. Everyone turned their attention to the little clown, who was busy stashing some of Jack's cup ramen into a small bag. He quickly panicked and hid the bag behind his back.

"A-Ah, no! This is not what you think!"

Jack Atlas rose from his chair, towering several feet over the impish man. A fiery aura surrounded his body. He began to crack his knuckles.

"Yeager, damn you! Every single time, always stealing my cup ramen! I'll never forgive you!"

Yeager dashed away before Jack had the chance to swing his fist forward. The tall man did not hesitate to give chase, and the two disappeared from sight.

The blue-haired man's frown flipped back into a smile. "Yes, you guys are certainly amusing." He pulled two black roses from inside his suit jacket and placed them into Rua's and Ruka's green hair. After he patted their heads, he took a step back to where his leader was standing.

"Sieg, don't stir up too much trouble," the leader scolded. He then turned toward Team 5D's with an apologetic look. "Please forgive my subordinate's rude behavior."

"A-Ah, no." Rua laughed nervously, rubbing his hand on the back of his head.

A small grin appeared on Sieg's face. He turned toward his leader and lifted another black rose to his lips.

"Subordinate? How could a word so dirty possibly be used to describe me?"

"Okay, that's enough! We're holding up the line!" The blonde hair Black Baron member grabbed Sieg and dragged him away, ignoring the man's protests.

"Thank you for your time!" The brown-haired leader waved toward Team 5D's as he chased after his teammates.

"Hey! How can you interrupt someone when they're in the middle of talking?! How dirty!"

Sieg's voice faded as he was dragged toward the other end of the large dining room.

"Do you guys get the feeling we were just greeted by a bunch of oddballs?" Crow asked.

"Say that after you stop rubbing your hands all over that velvet chair," Aki said blankly, looking down at Crow affectionately rubbing his hands up and down the soft material.

"Shut up! This is a once-in-a-life-time opportunity for me!"

"You shouldn't call your teammates oddballs, Big Sis Aki," Rua said while he stuffed his face full of food he took from the serving table.

"I agree."

Aki and the twins turned to face Bruno, the team mechanic, who was kneeling down in the middle of the floor beside their table. He was kneeling in front of a blue and white D-Wheel that had the words "Security" written along the side. He was busy taking the machine apart with a wrench in his hand.

"Hey! What the hell are you doing to my D-Wheel?!"

A taller man with black, jagged hair ran toward the mechanic. He was waving his arms around frantically. He was Ushio Tetsu, Mikage's partner, and one of the leaders of the special investigations team of the Neo Domino City Security Branch.

"I'm sorry!" Bruno called out as he ran away from Ushio. "I thought it could use a tune-up!"

"Doesn't the owner usually ask for the tune-up?!" Ushio raged on as he chased Bruno around the room.

Ruka calmly took a sip of water from the glass sitting in front of her. "Shouldn't he be more concerned about the fact that he's fixing it in the middle of the dining room?"

"This is revenge for my cup ramen!" Jack screamed, finally catching up with Yeager.

Jack whacked Yeager across the top of his head and dragged him back over to the table.

"Now be a good evil clown and get back to frightening our guests!"

"Y-You said something rather cruel just now, did you not?!"

Mikage managed to get Ushio and Bruno to stop causing a ruckus. Bruno apologized and put Ushio's D-Wheel back together. Ushio grumbled and took it out of the building.

"_Now, that's it for our earlier contestants!"_ Master of Ceremonies cut in. _"Will the finalists please step forward?!"_

Three men approached the table. The first man had short, shiny black hair and brown eyes. He was wearing a black muscle shirt and tight, black jeans. The second man had long blonde hair and green eyes. He was wearing a white T-shirt and blue jeans. The third man had spiky, dark red hair and light brown eyes. He was wearing a brown jacket and grey sweatpants.

"Team Unicorn!" Yusei exclaimed. "Long time no see! How are your injuries holding up?"

The black haired man, Jean, placed his hand on his hip and flashed Yusei a flirty smile. "We're doing just fine."

"We should be asking you guys how you're feeling after the spectacle we just witnessed," said Breo, the blonde haired member.

"You three are as reckless as always." Andre, the red haired man, flashed the team a thumbs up.

Just as Andre spoke, another team walked up to the table. The three men were all wearing casual T-shirts and jeans. The first man had spiky brown hair and wide, brown eyes. The second man had darker brown hair and darker brown eyes. The last member had dark blue hair and hazel colored eyes.

"You guys _totally_ need to give me your autograph!" said the dark brown haired member, Yoshizo.

"Team Taiyou?" Aki called out questionably. "I thought you guys already returned home?"

"Not quite yet," replied the blue-haired man, Jinbei. "We decided to stick around for the finals and tour the city a bit first."

The leader with brown hair, Taro, laughed warmly. "We had no idea things would turn into such chaos! Boy don't we have a story for the folks back in town."

Yusei nodded toward the three. He suddenly heard a familiar voice called out to him.

"Yusei!"

Yusei looked up and saw a man with long, light blue hair waving toward him. The man, Kiryu, had yellow criminal markers above and below his right eye. Beside him were two teenagers. The male teenager, West, had dark brown eyes and dark brown hair. He was dressed similarly to Kiryu. The girl, Nico, had long black hair and light brown eyes. She was wearing a white sun dress.

Not far from them was a tall, well-built man with darker skin named Bomber. He had long, dark brown hair and dark eyes that were nearly black. He wore tight clothes that defined his muscles clearly. Just like Kiryu, Bomber had a teenaged girl and boy tagging along. The girl was Bomber's younger sister Annie. She had curly black hair that flowed down to her back. Her brother, Max, had shorter hair that looked similar to his sister's. Both children had similar skin and eye color as their brother, and they were both dressed in oriental robes.

"Kiryu?! Bomber?! What are you guys doing here?!" Yusei cried when he saw his old friends.

"We've been here the entire time!" Bomber called back, shaking Yusei's hand tightly. "We wanted to surprise you after the tournament."

"Had I known things would have gotten this bad, I wouldn't have brought Nico and West along with me." Kiryu chuckled warmly, bumping Yusei's fist.

"Yeah, nor would I have brought Annie and Max." Bomber agreed, patting his siblings on their heads.

Crow looked up at the familiar faces while continuing to pet the velvet chair. "I'm not too surprised to see you Bomber. But Kiryu, is it really okay for you to be here? What happens if someone tries to take over Satisfaction Town while you're gone?"

"Thank you for the concern, but there is no need to be." Nico gave Crow an assuring smile.

"Big Brother Kiryu really turned things around after you guys left!" West gushed, patting his metaphorical brother on the back.

"That's right," Kiryu confirmed. "You guys may not have heard since you've been so busy here, but Satisfaction Town is now the most popular Dueling town in the west."

"And you, Bomber?" Jack inquired, facing the bulky man. "How have things over at Nazca been now that the Crimson Devil is gone?"

"It's been great, actually. After you removed the devil, there's been no sign of negative energy at all. I'm not the least bit worried about the Earthbound Gods rising again."

"But forget about us," Kiryu cut Jack off. "Some of the Duels we saw here were really amazing! Team Unicorn, Team Taiyou, it's a pleasure to meet you all face-to-face."

Team Unicorn returned Kiryu's smile and reached out to shake his hand. Jean winked at the man as he gripped his hand tightly.

"Likewise. You seem like cool guys."

"Thank you for the compliment," Taro replied while he shook Bomber's hand.

"Looks like we've been beaten to the table."

Everyone looked up to see Team Ragnarok, still in their casual clothing.

"Whoa, Team Ragnarok! It's a pleasure!" Kiryu rushed over and shook their hands as well.

After seeing how energetic his friend Kiryu had become since he last saw him, Yusei couldn't help but smile to himself.

"Nice to meet you," Bomber nodded to the team while following Kiryu's actions.

"Man, all this attention's gonna go to their heads," Brave grinned, looking over at the members of Team 5D's.

Dragan placed a hand on his hip and laughed. "It's okay. They deserve it."

"Not that I mind, but wasn't this party supposed to be for W.R.G.P. participants only?" Bruno addressed Kiryu and Bomber in a serious tone, but quickly corrected himself. "Where are my manners? Pardon me."

Bomber showed no concern, despite Bruno bowing politely. "Don't worry about it."

"We asked the evil clown to let us in," Kiryu explained, "since we're so close with Team 5D's."

"Yes, they were the only exceptions," Yeager nodded professionally. After a moment, his eyes nearly bulged out of his head and he raised his voice. "Hey! Don't call me evil clown!"

"My apologies, Yugger."

"It's Yeager! _Yeager_!"

"Isn't it about time you guys start eating?" Ushio interrupted, chewing on a chicken leg. "The food's gonna get cold."

"You guys should totally try some! It's really good!" Rua said, spitting out bits of food from his mouth. Ruka gave him a disgusted look and wiped her cheek with a napkin.

"Rua, you shouldn't start eating before everyone. Where are your manners?"

Ushio quickly hid his chicken leg and cleared his throat.

"Oh, right. I almost forgot," Yeager replied, lifting an eyebrow. He then clapped and looked toward MC. "Master of Ceremonies, please announce the start of our feast."

MC quickly pushed his plate of food out of sight and jumped from his chair. As he nodded, his pompadour knocked the microphone off the table. It took him a moment to set it up again before he replied.

"_Right! Everyone, thank you for waiting patiently! You may all line up in an orderly fashion for your meal! We ask that you wait for everyone to be served once before coming up for seconds."_

"Why don't all of you eat with us?" Yusei suggested, looking at all of his fellow Duelists. "There's enough room at this large table."

And with that, everyone in the room began to eat their meal. Yusei, Aki, and Ruka only had one plate, while Crow and Rua helped themselves to three.

"Jack," Kiryu called out. "Can you pass the salt and pepper?"

As if he was challenged to a Duel, Jack shot a glance toward his opponent and tossed the salt and pepper shaker across the table. Without spilling a single grain over the long table, Kiryu caught the shakers with his two index fingers. After doing so, he shot Jack a grin.

"Still got it after all these years! You're still a member of Team Satisfaction, all right!"

"You guys are still doing that?" grumbled Crow.

"Hmph. You're just jealous that you can't do it." Jack looked down at Crow through the corner of his eyes. "Care to prove me wrong?"

"You're as arrogant as ever. Fine!" Crow repeated Jack's actions with the second set of salt and pepper shakers. Without spilling a single grain on the table, Crow succeeded… in knocking Breo unconscious.

Yoshi grinned excitedly as he prepared to eat a large bite of his mashed potatoes. With his eyes closed, he lifted his fork to his mouth and slowly chewed, savoring the flavor of… a mountain of black pepper that conveniently landed on his food.

"That's hot! Water! Water!"

Taro and Jin did their best to revive the nearly toppled young man.

For the next hour, the chaotic dinner party with Team 5D's continued. Whether it was the pie eating contest between Rua and Crow, the epic arm wrestling match between Jack and Bomber, or a failed karaoke attempt by Yeager, any human being attending this party would say it was like nothing they had ever experienced before.

**BREAK**

Later on, Team Ragnarok pulled Yusei and his friends to the side.

"Yusei, do you guys have a moment?" Harald asked in a much more serious tone than he had during the party. "We'd like to talk to you."

"Yeah, we do. What is it?" Yusei's expression hardened. His body suddenly felt tense.

"The truth is," Brave continued, "we still sense something unsettling."

"Unsettling? What do you mean by that?" Jack lifted an eyebrow warily.

Without warning, all three members of Team Ragnarok underwent a transformation in their left eyes. Three unique marks formed from within their eye sockets. Each glowed vibrantly, but were a different color.

"Despite Aporia being defeated, our Rune Eyes still alert us of immediate danger." Dragan explained, pointing to his own glowing eye.

The Rune Eyes were incredibly rare genetic transformations only those who bear a connection to the gods of Norse Mythology had the birth rights to. Though they were quite noticeable, the three members could "turn them off" whenever they chose to.

"That shouldn't be right," Aki said, looking quite worried all of a sudden. "Aporia was formed from those three emperors of Yliaster. Now that he's been defeated, Yliaster shouldn't be a threat to us, right?"

"Our birthmarks aren't alerting us of anything, either," Ruka pointed out as she rubbed her left arm.

"Are you sure your Rune Eyes are working properly?" Rua questioned, not looking all that concerned. "Maybe they take a long time to wear off."

"No, our Rune Eyes are different from your Crimson Dragon birthmarks," Harald explained. "Your birthmarks respond to one another and to other energies similar in nature, such as our eyes. However, our Rune Eyes were forged to act as signals. They respond not to energy, but to positive and negative presence. The fact that they are still detecting such a negative presence is greatly troubling to us. We thought you should have the right to know, since you personally disposed of Yliaster's subordinate."

Yusei's eyes widened, and he shifted uncomfortably. "Are you trying to say Yliaster still has another assassin stronger than Aporia?"

"How could that be possible?!" Crow shouted. "Yliaster would have sent their strongest warrior after us, being the Signers and all. Who else could possibly be stronger?"

"Don't be so sure of that."

Everyone turned their attention toward Mizoguchi, Sherry LeBlanc's personal butler, who had been eavesdropping on their conversation.

"Mizoguchi, you were listening?" Yusei asked with a surprised look on his face. Kiryu and Bomber were standing beside the gentleman.

"So were we," Kiryu answered. "Mind filling us in? To be honest, I feel the same."

"I also feel the same as Team Ragnarok," Bomber concurred. "Because Kiryu and I were both Dark Signers who maintained the memories of our experiences, we are especially subject to evil aura in the air. We felt it earlier, but we didn't want to ruin the mood."

"As you all know, I spent a long time searching for a way to bring Lady Sherry back from the other dimension she fell victim too," Mizoguchi continued. "I still personally believe that her disappearance is related to a force we have yet to see."

"If any of that's true," Yusei replied darkly, "that would mean our defeating Aporia was meaningless…"

**BREAK**

Back in the ocean where Aporia's body rested, the water began to suddenly started to glow intensely. This lasted for around a minute before the water returned to normal again, so it went unnoticed by the citizens passing by.

In another dimension far away, the black spiral castle from earlier was floating in a mysteriously-colored sky. The clouds appeared to warp and bend with each passing second, and it had a multi-colored hue that was no specific color.

Inside the citadel known as the Ark Cradle, pathways bended and intertwined. Each path glowed the color of the Momentum energy, which consisted of many different colors.

Deep within the very core of the Ark Cradle sat a rather large laboratory. The room inside was futuristic in nature, and none of the technology looked like something of the present day and age, despite how advanced Neo Domino City had become.

Perhaps the most noticeable observation about the laboratory was the countless cylinder-shaped pods that lined the room. There were three lifeless bodies inside three of the pods. One of the bodies was Aporia's old body, his real body before he died. Unlike his metallic body, this body was human in nature and also quite old looking. The pods had some sort of technology that preserved the bodies inside.

Aporia's motionless mechanical body now rested atop a work table. His body was torn and tattered, revealing metal plates, wires, and microchips that made up his second body.

"What's wrong, Aporia? I still require your power. Won't you lend me your strength?"

The masked man road a metallic shrimp-shaped device. His voice sounded gruff and mechanical.

Aporia's response came not through his mouth, but directly through Z-one's mind. They were somehow speaking telepathically.

"_Z-one...? So I lost?"_

"_Yes."_

"_I'm sorry. I could not keep the promise I made with you."_

"_However, things have taken an unexpected turn."_

"_An unexpected turn?"_

"_Within our original plan, the Circuit was to be completed upon your victory. Following, the Ark Cradle would appear. However, despite the result, the Circuit has still been fully charged."_

"_So you're saying the plan will live on...?"_

"_Yes, but things have taken a slight turn. There is a great chance that the future has changed once again due to an outside interference."_

"_An outside interference that changed the future? Was it Team 5D's?"_

"_The probability is high. But the change that has occurred in the future is irregular. Aporia, can I ask you to attempt to change the future once more?"_

"_Of course I will. I am your eternal friend."_

Deep beneath the robotic mask, Z-one's soft blue eyes watered when he heard those words.

"_Your loyalty will be rewarded, my friend. I am going to repair you, but this time I'm going to make some alterations. Are you okay with me doing this?"_

"_If it means our plan succeeding, I am fine with whatever you do."_

After saying this, Aporia's eyes shot open. They began to glow a bright red as Z-one came closer to him.

"I see. Then I will begin your repairs."

Aporia said nothing else as Z-one brought out his machinery and began restructuring his body. After about 20 minutes of work, Z-one stopped when he heard footsteps approach him from behind.

"Aporia lost because you underestimated Yusei Fudo and his friends, Z-one."

It was Sherry LeBlanc, the newest recruitment to Z-one's team. She wore a cold expression on her face, despite her beautiful blue eyes and her gorgeous, long blonde hair. She was wearing a black and white Riding Suit that hugged her body tightly.

Sherry had recently been saved by Z-one when she fell into a time stream during one of Yusei's expeditions. It was after that Z-one showed her visions of the ruined future, completely changing her mind on the matter with Yliaster.

"Sherry, you were here?" Z-one inquired flatly. "Can I help you with something?"

"No, I just came to see where things currently stand. It appears that the Circuit was fully charged. I assume that means the Ark Cradle will still surface."

"Yes, but it is still occurring prematurely. Because of this, its arrival has been delayed by a few hours. That being said, the plan will move ahead as we discussed. Sherry, get ready to do your part as well."

"As long as you understand your position as well, I'll take care of it," Sherry replied bluntly, turning her eyes away from the man. "Defeating Yusei Fudo will be an easy task."

"No, it won't be that easy."

A sharp voice cut in, startling the woman. Z-one offered no reaction and merely looked toward the owner of the voice, who stood in the open door way behind Sherry.

"Who are you?!" Sherry screamed, activating her Duel Disk.

"Stop, Sherry. He is an ally."

Sherry stopped and stared back at the expressionless olive-green eyes that gawked back at her.

"Though I must say," Z-one continued, "I was convinced you were dead, Paradox."

Still standing in the doorway, the man clad in torn armor offered Z-one a forced smile. He had long, golden hair with purple highlights in the front. Sherry also noticed that his right eyebrow was an odd red color, different from his ordinary left eyebrow. Paradox's body was covered in dry blood and his clothes were torn to bits.

"Where have you been all this time?"

"After my defeat, I was trapped between two flowing currents of time," Paradox replied, panting in between. "Getting out took a lot of time and energy."

"I wasn't aware there was another one of you people…" Sherry mumbled to herself.

"I see you have suffered greatly," Z-one said in an apologetic tone. "I offer you my deepest apologies."

"Never mind all that. I just got back, but I've briefed myself on the current situation. To think even Aporia was defeated by Yusei Fudo's hand. This is a disgrace of ridiculous proportion."

Paradox looked at his own bloodied arm and gritted his teeth in frustration. He couldn't help but remember the moment of his defeat at the hands of Yusei Fudo, Judai Yuki, and Yugi Mutou.

"_Does this mean that... my experiment was incorrect!?"_

Paradox grasped his arm tightly and looked back up toward Z-one.

"Paradox, I realize you are injured, but we could use your assistance in making our current plan a success."

"I fully intend to have my revenge on Yusei Fudo, but the way you are going about this is all wrong."

"What do you mean by that?" Sherry cut in.

Paradox finally acknowledged her presence and gave her a disgusted look.

"Who the hell is this woman, Z-one? Just what have you all been doing in my absence?! Don't tell me that we, the self-proclaimed 'Four Stars of Yliaster', have grown so weak that we needed to start recruiting random humans!"

"I have every right to be here as you do," Sherry retorted. " I too intend to protect our future!"

"Hmph, forget it," Paradox replied, shaking his head. "We don't have the time for such trivial matters. More importantly, Z-one, listen to what I have to say."

Z-one's exposed eye narrowed as he prepared to listen to his subordinate.

"You can't defeat Yusei Fudo with our current tactics. It pains me to admit it, but he has an incredible ability. His strength comes from the bonds he shares with those close to him. The stronger those bonds, the stronger his iron defenses become. The fact that both Aporia and I were taken out by him is proof enough."

"Then what exactly do you suggest we do?"

"There is only one way to deal with a man like Yusei Fudo." As he said this, a small smirk appeared on the man's face.

**BREAK**

Back in Neo Domino City, Yusei and his friends continued their discussion with Team Ragnarok in the hallway of the Public Security Maintenance Bureau.

"Team Ragnarok, if what you're saying is true," Yusei said in a concerned voice, "that would mean defeating Aporia was meaningless."

"At the very least," admitted Harald, "it means we can't rest easy just yet."

As they spoke, Aki noticed Bruno acting strangely. His eyes widened and he looked as if he just sensed something the others could not.

"Bruno, what's wrong?"

Bruno opened his mouth to reply, but before he could muster up the words, his voice was drowned out by a sudden rumble. The rumble was loud enough to shake the floor beneath their feet.

High above the skies of Neo Domino City, in an area Aporia once used as his secret base, the Circuit glowed a bright purple. The Circuit was a massive circle of energies. Its appearance was similar to a computer's motherboard. As the material began to shine vibrantly, the shaking grew louder and more intense. Even the sky began to tremble from its touch.

Team 5D's and their companions grabbed onto what they could to keep themselves from falling onto the floor. The guests inside the dinner room began to panic, believing it was an earthquake.

The Duelists, however, knew better. Instead of panicking, they all immediately ran outside toward the stadium where the W.R.G.P. was held. The rumbling grew even louder, nearly piercing their ear drums.

"What the?" Jack voiced his concern over the intensity of the monstrous noise above them.

"What's this…?" Yusei asked quietly, appearing to be quite stunned.

"Hey!" Crow called his friends to get their attention. He pointed up toward the sky, where they saw something unbelievable.

They watched in horror as the sky literally began cracking apart before their very eyes. There was no way to describe it, because such a thing should have been physically impossible. Yet it was indeed happening, and it was an event that defied the laws of physics.

"What's going on?" Jack asked in shock, despite knowing very well what was happening.

The sky crumbled away bit by bit, revealing underneath it a dark region of black clouds.

"They sky's... splitting?" Aki looked very nervous, and her friends shared her reaction.

"You gotta be kidding..." Crow shrieked under his breath.

The Ark Cradle began to emerge from the region of black clouds, creating a supernatural lightshow around it. The Ark Cradle surfaced upside down, pointing its sharp top downward toward Neo Domino City.

"That's... the Ark Cradle!" Yusei shouted, his eyes widening twice as big.

The naïve citizens of Neo Domino City watched in shock and awe as this massive structure blocked out the sun. It loomed far above them, threatening their very existence with its presence.

Carly arrived on the scene along with Ushio, Mikage, and Stephanie.

"Wh-What the heck is that thing?!" Carly questioned out loud, pointing her camera up toward it.

"It's unbelievably huge!" Stephanie cried.

"This isn't possible!" Jack bellowed, raising his clenched fists. "The Ark Cradle shouldn't have appeared if we won!"

"Even if you say that, the thing's right above us!" Crow responded, pointing toward the object.

Jack growled, unable to refute what his eyes told him to be true.

"I don't believe this…" Bomber said quietly, hugging his two frightened siblings toward him.

"So it really ended up appearing after all," Harald said matter-of-factly. "Our Rune Eyes were trying to warn us of this."

"The Ark Cradle..." Yusei recalled. "The 'Final Momentum of Humanity' they called from the future..."

Team 5D's recalled what the three embodiments of Aporia told them before they fought in the tournament.

"_That is the Citadel of God, the Ark Cradle. The place where the _Yleidus_ are sleeping."_

"_The moment we of Team New World win the W.R.G.P., the Ark Cradle will show its true form as it descends upon the Earth."_

"_And at that time... Neo Domino City will be destroyed as the world is reborn!"_

Bruno glared up at the Ark Cradle with a knowing expression on his face. He called to Z-one in his mind, mentally asking him if he intended to destroy Neo Domino City.

**BREAK**

"Paradox, you can't be serious…"

Back up on the Ark Cradle, Z-one responded to his subordinate with a hint of disappointment through his monotone voice.

"You honestly wish to fall to such a level?"

Paradox narrowed his eyes and stared right into what little he could see of Z-one's.

"Z-one, the time has come for you to cast aside your naïve thinking and focus only on doing what needs to be done! The reason Yusei Fudo stands before us is because you took such dodgy precautions in your plan, hoping we could come to some sort of settlement with Team 5D's."

"You are as reckless as ever." Though his face could not be seen, the metallic man began to sound a bit defensive and angry. "You should be aware that it was your own recklessness that caused your defeat."

"Come again?" Paradox snapped back.

"Your only goal was to kill Pegasus J. Crawford, the creator of Duel Monsters. Your loss was guaranteed the moment you began acting outside of the original objective and stealing Yusei's Stardust Dragon."

"Even if that's true, it has nothing to do with my current strategy. I didn't spend my time trapped in time space twiddling my thumbs! I analyzed Yusei Fudo carefully and I came up with a conjecture. A man of his caliber strengthened by countless bonds will only crumble if we remove those bonds one by one."

"Z-one, I agree," Sherry interrupted. "I've gotten to know Yusei fairly well and I can say for sure that he is the kind of man who would not be able to function without his bonds."

"…"

Z-one could say nothing to his allies, knowing deep down that what they were saying was true.

"Z-one… I agree as well." Aporia reached his stiff arm up toward the man, speaking his opinion softly.

"Aporia, you were conscious?"

"I've witnessed the power of his bonds firsthand. We… need to teach them what it feels like to have your bonds shattered before your very eyes…!"

After sighing to himself, Z-one finally gave in to his peers.

"Very well. If my original plan fails, I will listen to what all of you have to say."

"I'm ready on my end," Sherry confirmed. "Though, you should be aware that the likelihood of this working is very low. Yusei is not the kind of man who would be scared off because of a mere threat."

"Regardless, we must at least try…" Z-one responded, looking away from Sherry's eyes.

Aporia grabbed Z-one's arm softly to get his attention. "Z-one, please hurry up with my repairs… I need to prepare for war."

"Please repair me as well," Paradox cut in. "I will attempt to regain my strength before I am called to the battlefield. I believe we'll only have a few hours at best before they come."

Z-one was silent for a moment before he answered. "Very well. I will be as quick as I can."

Sherry watched Z-one's actions very carefully. She couldn't help but have an interest in the man that was technically her enemy. Though she could not put her finger on it, she sensed an immense sadness coming from him, despite how threatening he was. And what was more, the sadness was very familiar to the woman.

**BREAK**

Back inside the Public Security Maintenance Bureau, Yusei and his friends stood in grim silence as they waited for Yeager's team to assess the situation. Yeager had thought it best for them to learn more about the situation before they made any rash decisions.

Kiryu and Bomber left to find a safe location for their children, promising to return as soon as possible. Carly and Ushio decided to return to the Security police station to gather those willing to prepare for emergency assistance. In addition, Stephanie and Carly were ordered to evacuate the city immediately along with all of the other Duelists attending the W.R.G.P. after party. The only ones still remaining were the members of Team 5D's, Mizoguchi, and Yeager's team.

Yeager connected their room to Kaiba Corporation's Department of Research and Development, where an overly energetic scientist by the name Akutsu appeared on screen. He had brown hair and wild, blue eyes. He danced around the room eccentrically, ignoring the immediate danger he was in. Akutsu was known for having a screw loose, and it was for this very reason. He was obsessed with Momentum and all research surrounding it. Yeager knew this man well and figured he was most likely viewing this entire situation as his personal playground.

"I cannot _beliieevvee_ this happened~! The Momentum _stooppedd spiinninng_~!" Akutsu attempted to over-emphasize his words, stretching out his sentence to do so.

The workers of the Public Security Maintenance Bureau typed away at their computers rapidly. As dire as the situation was, the room lost all sense of order. The workers talked over one another quickly as they alerted their director of the increasing severity of the problem.

"The power level has fallen below 30%!"

"And the power level won't stop dropping! At this rate, the Momentum will reach a standstill!"

"Run a check on the system's program!" Yeager ordered his team. "Search for any strange patterns or disturbances in the system!"

**BREAK**

The streets of Neo Domino City were quickly overtaken by confusion and worry. The citizens began to fight with each other and nearby Security officers, all of whom were unaware of what was going on.

One of the officers named Kazama gasped when his D-Wheel suddenly began to slow down. He looked down at his data screen and saw his mileage was beginning to decline. He brushed his blue bangs out of his brown eyes so he could view his screen better.

"What the? I'm losing power."

"Same here," replied the green-haired officer beside him.

Their D-Wheels stopped completely.

"The Momentum in the D-Wheels...! It's no good! It won't budge!"

Just as their D-Wheels ceased function, the entire city was plunged into darkness. The power outage drained the Momentum from every part of the city, including hospitals and all Momentum-powered vehicles in the vicinity.

**BREAK**

"The system's down!" reported one of Yeager's workers, calling out to her co-workers in the darkness.

"All facilities have ceased function!" another man called out to Yeager, rising from his chair.

"Switch to backup power!" Yeager cried out.

"Yes, sir!"

The lights were restored as the system was switched over to its emergency energy supply.

"Director," one of the men addressed, "the Old Momentum has activated."

"What did you say?!"

Yeager knew how serious the situation was now. The Old Momentum was the first source of Momentum created by Yusei's father, Dr. Fudo. It was the energy that caused the Zero Reverse incident that took more than half of the city with it. It was this same source of energy that was utilized by the Dark Signers to attempt reviving the King of the Underworld onto Earth.

"It has begun to rotate abnormally in the opposite direction." The worker used his screen to bring up data on the Old Momentum as he spoke.

"Old Momentum!" Yusei cried on instinct, knowing full well the dangers it possessed.

"Is this the Ark Cradle's fault, too?" Jack asked aloud, knowing the answer.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," Crow said quietly.

"Director, we are receiving a call from Sergeant Major Akutsu," the second worker informed Yeager.

"Put him through!" Yeager demanded. Akutsu appeared on the screen once again, looking just as excited as ever.

"Director Yeaaaageeeer~!" the scientist shrieked while spinning. "I have become well aware that we are facing quite the problem here! That is because that object contains within it Mooomentuuummm spinning in reverse rotation!"

"Reverse rotation?" Yusei echoed.

"Please watch closely!"

Akutsu, while spinning his arm furiously, pulled up a rendered image of the Ark Cradle. It contained an internal scan of the structure, which revealed what appeared to be an object rotating inside of its center.

"These are images our satellites captured of the object! Within the center of this object lies three Planetary Gears producing a massive amount of Momentum energy! And it is rotating in reverse, producing minus energy!"

"So using that," Jack concluded, "it's taken control of the Momentum in Neo Domino City."

"That is sooo correct! As long as it continues to rotate in reverse, aaaall of the Moooomeeeentuuuum within Neo Domino City will be at a standstill. And that is not even the most frightening matter at haaanddd~!"

Akutsu's expression suddenly straightened and his voice became more serious.

"That object... is slowly falling on us."

"What'd you say?!" Yusei cried, eyes widening in shock.

"If things continue as is, it will come crashing upon ground level within 12 hours! And the shock wave emitted from Neo Domino City will wipe out everything within a radius of several hundred kilometers!"

The room shared a collective gasp at hearing this information.

"I-I-In just... 12 hours?" Yeager gulped, turning to one of his workers. "How long will it take to evacuate all of the residents of Neo Domino City to the nearest cities?"

"All of them?" the worker replied nervously. "At minimum, it would take at least 20 hours."

Yeager gritted his teeth, realizing this would not be easy.

"That's not enough time!" Jack roared.

Yeager sighed, coming to a decision.

"I have no choice but to make an announcement with the emergency generator. Connect the emergency generator to the streets of the city."

**BREAK**

Back in the streets of the Neo Domino City, the confusion continued to spread as the people weren't given any information.

"For goodness sakes, this is really messing things up," one of the drivers on the road grumbled.

Team Taiyou was trapped in the middle of wandering citizens on the side of the road.

Yoshi looked around worriedly. "What in the world is going on here, guys?"

"I don't know, but I've got a bad feeling…" Jinbei replied in an un-assuring voice.

Taro did not say anything. He wore a serious expression, as if he were waiting for something to happen.

Just as Taro waited, Yeager appeared on all of the computers and TV screens across the entire city. All of the complaining came to a stop when they saw the director of the city staring at them, looking quite serious.

"_Attention, everyone in Neo Domino City. I am the director of the Public Security Maintenance Bureau, Yeager. Please remain calm and listen to me. I am now declaring this a state of emergency. All residents of Neo Domino City are hereby ordered to evacuate."_

Team Unicorn, standing outside of an Italian restaurant, began to realize what was happening around them.

"Did he say evacuate...?" Breo muttered aloud.

"What does that mean?" Andre asked to no one in particular.

Jean did not comment. He simply narrowed his eyes and waited for Yeager to continue.

"_Everyone, please cope with the situation at hand. We are short on time. The object overhead in the sky is going to crash down upon us."_

In different locations, Team Ragnarok, Kiryu, and Bomber were shocked when they heard this. Hearing this only caused them to quicken their pace to where they were all headed.

"_All women, children, wounded and ill will be attended to first."_

Team Black Baron were also evacuating, now currently near a sushi market.

"What's he talking about?" the team leader questioned, looking pale.

Siegfried felt a sensation watch over him as he listened. He began to clench his fists at his side.

"_The Public Security Maintenance Bureau will send patrols to aid in this process."_

As Yeager continued his speech, the blonde member of Team Black Baron began to panic. He eyed the Ark Cradle hovering high above his head.

"That thing's gonna fall on us?!"

Back to Team Taiyou, Taro's expression became sicklier as the severity began to sink in.

"No way..."

"They must be kidding!" Yoshi grasped the back of his head with both of his hands. He began to look scared and intense.

Like a row of dominoes, panic began to wash over the surrounding crowd one by one.

"No!"

"Let's get outta here!"

"Someone help us!"

"Screw the party," the Team Black Baron leader shouted. "Let's get the hell outta here!"

"Yeah, let's amscray!" The blonde team member was right behind his leader as the two dashed forward.

The Black Baron members turned around when they realized Siegfried was not following them.

"Sieg, aren't you coming?! You heard the director! If you stay here, you'll die!"

Sieg shot his teammates a glare. "How can you call yourself Duelists? You run at the first sense of danger?"

"The hell you talking about? This isn't about card games! It's about life or death! If you're gonna stay, be my guest! We're evacuating!"

Sieg growled as his teammates ran off without him.

"Damn cowards… I can't believe I was on the same team as them."

At the same time, Team Ragnarok hurried along in the opposite direction of the crowd.

"Phew, things got pretty serious!" Brave laughed.

"I can't believe that palace is really going to fall on us…" Dragan's voice trailed off as he spoke out loud.

Harald closed his eyes momentarily. When he opened his eye again, his left eye was glowing a bright blue. Inside the pupil of his eye, a shape that looked like an "F" formed. The other two nodded, beginning to run behind their leader.

Outside of the Blue-Eyes Mountain Café la Green, Stephanie ran frantically toward her workplace.

"Stephanie! What are you doing?! We have to get out of here now!"

Stephanie saw her boss running toward her. He had his backpack full of his possessions.

The teenaged girl shook her head sharply. "No matter what, I won't let them take Blue-Eyes Mountain away!"

"Who cares about this place right now?!" Stephanie's boss began to drag her away from the café against her will.

"But Jack really likes it here!"

The entire city came to life as men and woman of all ages rushed to escape their deaths.

The owner of the Poppo Time, the garage where Yusei and his friends stayed, refused to leave. She invested her entire life into the clock store she lived in. Her son, Leo, had to convince her to continue to live. After much reluctance, his mother finally gave in and decided to join him in the evacuation. Many other elderly people had to be convinced in this same way.

**BREAK**

"All right, get on board! And make it quick. Is there anyone left behind?"

Martha, the owner of the small orphanage in Satellite, looked around her to make sure all of her children were onboard the beaten up bus behind her. Martha was an African American woman. She had long, black braids and friendly, dark blue eyes. She was wearing a red and white robe that looked similar to a nun's outfit.

Martha was staring up at the Ark Cradle hovering above the city when she heard a voice call out to her.

"Wait!"

Martha turned around to see Kiryu and Bomber running toward her with their children in front of them.

"Who are you?" she asked.

Bomber attempted to catch his breath, stopping in front of the woman.

"We're friends with Yusei, but forget that right now. Please, we beg you to take these children along with you."

Bomber motioned toward Annie, Max, West, and Nico.

Bomber's little brother Max ran over and hugged his leg.

"No, I'm not going anywhere without you, Big Brother Bomber!"

"Me either!" His sister Annie repeated the action.

Kiryu turned to face Martha with pleading eyes.

"I heard about your orphanage from Yusei. You're the only one we can trust the children with."

Martha nodded empathetically. "Being an emergency and all, I won't question you too much. But aren't you two coming along with the children?"

"No, we're staying behind to help Yusei and the rest of Team 5D's."

"I see. Then let them on. I wish you two the best of luck. Tell Yusei and his friends that as well."

Kiryu bowed politely to the woman, placing his hands on West and Nico's shoulders.

Bomber did the same with his siblings. "Go on, get on board. I promise we'll make it back to you safely."

After a moment, Bomber's siblings gave in and hugged their brother one last time before boarding the bus.

Kiryu also hugged his adopted children affectionately. "Don't worry, kids. I promised your late father that I'd take care of you. I have no intention of dying today!"

After saying their goodbyes, Kiryu and Bomber drove off on a couple of junked bikes they found lying around the orphanage. They headed straight for the city.

Martha watched the two men ride off with a smile on her face. She looked around her one last time to make sure there were no children outside of the bus. Once she was sure, she boarded the bus and closed the door behind her.

The kids took their seats toward the front of the bus. They were sitting near Yeager's wife and son, both of whom had a similar appearance.

"We sure lucked out, finding this bus and all!" Martha said cheerfully, attempting to lift the passengers' spirits.

The orphanage's doctor said nothing. He had his eyes closed and appeared to be lost deep in thought.

Martha approached the man driving the bus, Saiga. Saiga was one of Yusei's friends who decided to stay at Martha's orphanage around a year before when Satellite and the city were joined as one. He was also known for taking any job asked of him in both Satellite and the city. Saiga had gruffly brown hair and slanted, brown eyes. Despite having more money than he used to, Saiga preferred wearing his old, torn clothes.

Saiga smiled toward the woman, placing both of his hands on the steering wheel of the bus.

"It used to be in the junkyard. A local officer really helped me out with a new ignition switch and a gas gauge. But this should be enough to get us out of here."

Martha nodded and took a seat beside the doctor. "Then let's take off right away."

"Martha..."

Martha turned when she heard one of the orphan boys call out to her.

"Is that thing really gonna fall?" the second boy asked.

"Is Neo Domino City gonna disappear?" the first boy asked, tearing up slightly.

"Don't be so worried 'bout it!" Martha said positively, flashing the boys a reassuring smile. "We're just goin' somewhere safe for the time being. I'm sure Jack, Crow and Yusei are gonna protect this city! And they've got great friends with them like the ones who just left!"

"You're right!"

"That's right!"

The two boys appeared to be satisfied. West and Nico added to Martha's comment.

"It's okay! Big Brother Kiryu's goin' there with them!" West encouraged.

"With Team Satisfaction and Team 5D's working together, I'm sure everything will be just fine!" Nico smiled.

"That's the spirit, kids! Stay positive!" Martha grinned warmly.

Saiga smiled to himself before starting the engine.

"Okay, let's head out."

The bus left the orphanage and Satellite behind them.

**BREAK**

The Security officers were lined up in front of Ushio and Mikage outside the Security police station.

"I'm so glad to see you all here!" Ushio called out. His voice grew quieter as he took note of how few officers were standing in front of him. "I really wanted to say that, but it looks like you're the only ones remaining."

"Yeah. A lot of them ran away," Kazama sighed, informing his boss.

"Hmm… I don't blame 'em, with that thing lingering over the city like that." Ushio rubbed his hand on his chin, understanding how his men felt. "Anyway, in this situation, we can't use vehicles that run on Momentum. However, as long as time allows it, we must get all civilians to a safe location. This will be a fight against time. We must aim to rescue, while forfeiting our own lives! If any of you wants to run away, now's your last chance."

Ushio was silent for a moment, waiting to see if anyone had any last minute objections. Kazama smiled to himself when no one said anything.

"Great! Your lives are now in the hands of Section Chief Sagiri and myself!"

"All injured and ill persons are our top priority!" Mikage ordered. "Guiding the remaining citizens comes after! We must not abandon a single life!"

"Roger!" The officers saluted their bosses before preparing to leave.

**BREAK**

"Hey, let's move it!"

"We can't escape like this!"

Citizens pushed and shoved as they selfishly tried to move ahead of one another.

Carly struggled to keep her balance as the two local hippies pushed against her bulky knapsack, attempting to shove her out of the way. Carly's knapsack was filled to the brim with many items, and a Jack Atlas teddy bear popped out of the side.

"C'mon, don't push me!" Carly struggled to keep the afro woman hippie and the long haired man hippie away from her.

"Hey! Those cars are still working!"

Carly stopped and looked up when she heard the shouts.

The crowd surrounded a blonde haired officer and his partner. They were driving an old fashioned military-style vehicle. It did not operate on Momentum, but old fashioned gasoline.

"_Only those who are injured or ill are permitted to board this vehicle! Please stand back! It's not safe!"_

"Please let us on!"

"I beg you! I have a child with me!"

The woman waved her baby in the air as the surrounding men began to bang their fists on the vehicle.

Carly took a step back to avoid the chaos.

"Things are getting pretty bad here..." The female hippie whacked her enormous afro into Carly's back, causing her to lose balance and fall onto the ground.

**BREAK**

Up on the Ark Cradle, Z-one was alone with a now repaired Aporia.

"You have quit being human?" Z-one asked his comrade in a questioning voice.

"I have," Aporia responded monotonously.

"You have come to be more human than anyone," Z-one reminded his friend. "Your very being consists of three embodiments of despair. Your grief lead to the creation of three human beings. After the fact, I resurrected you into three separate forms in which I called Lucciano, Placido, and Jose, whom you see lying before you."

Aporia looked down at the three motionless clones of himself lying on the table. One was a child with long, red hair. One was a middle-aged man with silver, spiky hair. The last man was an elder with wrinkly skin and grey hair.

Aporia closed his eyes, looking away from the three beings.

"I no longer need despair. I lost to Team 5D's during the W.R.G.P. Final Match. Caught deep in despair, I was met with absolute hopelessness. It was you who saved me from that. Despair... I lost because I shouldered this feeling. I was held captive by my own emotions." Aporia opened his eyes once more and stared right into Z-one's blue eyes. "I give all of my feelings to you."

"Aporia..."

"That is why I have asked you to rip the three embodiments of despair from my body. By doing so, I stand before you as nothing more than an empty shell of my former self. I do not feel. I do not think. I will be a mere tool for our greater cause. I don't need despair or hope. That is what it truly means to be a machine. I will protect you as a machine, for the ideal future you wish for."

Z-one stood silent, listening to the words of his close friend with sorrow.

Paradox stood in the empty hallway, listening to their conversation. He turned away from them with a disgusted look on his face.

That was Aporia's greatest weakness, Paradox believed. His loyalty to Z-one would be his undoing. Paradox was different from Aporia. He had long given up on Z-one, and believed he needed to save the future with his own two hands. He would do anything to do so, even if it meant sacrificing his own close friends.

Not wanting to hear anymore, Paradox walked down the hallway to his laboratory.

**BREAK**

Back in the Public Security Maintenance Bureau, Bruno typed away viciously on the computer's keyboard. He was viewing the satellite images Akutsu sent them.

The workers had already evacuated at Yeager's order. Though they insisted on staying, Yeager would not hear them out. They finally realized that their boss intended to stay until the end, even if it meant his death. Honored by his sacrifice, they had saluted him and left the building.

Bruno turned toward his friends, continuing to type. "I've aimed all the satellite cameras at the Ark Cradle. We might be able to learn something."

Zooming in on the Ark Cradle, the screen revealed what appeared to be upside down skyscrapers and smaller buildings.

"What is it?" Jack asked.

"A city? A ruined city?" Aki continued inquiring.

"What's the deal?" Crow wanted to know.

"Bruno!" Yusei called to his friend after noticing something. "Change the screen's angle!"

"Okay."

The screen flipped around on the material sticking out of the side of the Ark Cradle. After rotating several times, the screen revealed a bridge-like object.

The members of Team 5D's gasped loudly when they all came to the same realization.

"That's the Daedalus Bridge!" Jack yelled, referring to the bridge that connected Satellite to the city.

"That can't be!" Crow protested. "That's Satellite in the future?!"

"Then it's true?!" Aki cried, raising her hands to her chest uncomfortably.

Yusei's eyes widened in sudden terror. "Neo Domino City is going to be destroyed?"

Yeager jolted around to address his allies. "Is there any way for us to stop the Ark Cradle?!"

No one had an answer.

"Is there something we can do?!" Rua repeated.

Bruno interrupted the silence, knowing none of them had a solution.

"There may be."

Team 5D's turned to face Bruno, looking desperate.

"For real?" Crow asked.

"Bruno!" Yusei called his friend, feeling a bit of hope swell up inside him.

Bruno nodded to his friends. He then turned back to the computer screen to begin typing again.

"The Old Momentum in the Ark Cradle is rotating in a reverse direction. If it crashes into our larger Momentum rotating in a positive direction..."

"The reverse rotation would convert to a positive rotation. Right?" Jack completed Bruno's sentence.

"I see..." Crow replied.

"But the Momentum in this city is no longer rotating." Aki reminded them.

Jack and Crow released a simultaneous gasp, realizing she was right.

Yeager fell silent and closed his eyes. He sighed to himself before addressing them again.

"There may be nothing we can do now. All of you should evacuate as well!"

Jack and Crow were about to protest when Yusei noticed something on the computer screen.

"That's...!"

"What is it?" Crow looked around, confused.

Jack noticed Yusei looking at a video image of Team Ragnarok riding on their D-Wheels. They were dressed back in their feather-covered Riding Suits.

"It's Team Ragnarok!" Jack exclaimed.

"Their D-Wheels are running!" Crow pointed out.

**BREAK**

Outside of the building, Team Ragnarok drove up to Team 5D's.

"Team Ragnarok! How are your D-Wheels moving?" Yusei asked immediately.

Dragan chuckled softly. Harald smiled arrogantly.

"The heck?" Brave moaned. "You haven't even noticed?"

Brave pointed to his left eye, which was now lit up in a purple glow. A symbol appearing as an upside down "F" rested inside the pupil of his eye.

"Using _this_."

Harald's eye glowed blue while Dragan's eye glowed green.

"The Rune Eyes?" Aki asked.

Harald nodded to her. "Just as we haven't been affected by all of Yliaster's past actions, we aren't affected by the reverse rotation."

"I get it!" Yusei replied. "So our D-Wheels should also...!"

Yusei, Crow, and Jack ran over to their D-Wheels that were parked alongside the wall of the building. As they placed their hands upon the handles, their arms began to glow a white-red. They were the birthmarks of the Crimson Dragon, the proof that they were Signers. As soon as they made contact with the D-Wheels, their engines began to start.

"It worked!" Jack cried. "It's working!"

"We can still ride!" Crow called out excitedly.

"Right!" Yusei flashed his friends a thumbs up.

"Whoopie!" Rua cheered alongside the rest of Team 5D's.

Yusei stared up at the enormous structure floating above them. "Now we can reach the Ark Cradle."

"_You're mistaken."_

Everyone stopped cheering when they heard a familiar voice coming from Yusei's D-Wheel.

Sherry LeBlanc, Yusei's missing friend, suddenly appeared on his D-Wheel's video phone.

"Sherry! You're alive?!"

Mizoguchi quickly ran over to the D-Wheel. "My Lady!"

The others present silently listened in surprise as the woman continued to speak.

"_Yusei, I've seen it. The future that is soon to come."_

"The future?" he repeated.

"_You would be best off not coming to the Ark Cradle," _Sherry continued, narrowing her eyes. _"I have seen the future. And in that future, you die when you come to the Ark Cradle."_

Yusei's expression changed suddenly. His eyes widened greatly and he began to sweat nervously.

"I'll... die?"

OoO

**A sudden development?! Faced with the fear of death hovering above him, will Yusei be able to move forward to protect Neo Domino City?**

**To be continued in Chapter 2: "Facing Death" **

**List of cards used in this chapter (In order of appearance)**

**Shooting Star Dragon**

**WIND**

**Level 10**

**Dragon/Synchro/Effect**

**3300/2500**

**Effect: 1 Tuner Synchro Monster + "Stardust Dragon"**

**This card can be Synchro Summoned during your opponent's turn. Once per turn, you can reveal the top 5 cards of your Deck. Shuffle them back in, and this card can attack the same number of monsters this turn as the number of Tuner monsters revealed. You can negate the activation of an effect that would destroy a card(s) on the field, and destroy that card. During either player's turn, you can remove this card from play. During the turn this card is removed by this effect, you can negate an attack. During the End Phase, it can be returned to the field if it is removed from play by this effect.**

**Scar-Red Nova Dragon (OCG: "Red Nova Dragon")**

**DARK**

**Level 12**

**Dragon/Synchro/Effect**

**3500/3000**

**Effect: 2 Tuners + "Red Demon's Dragon"**

**This card gains 500 ATK for each Tuner monster in your Graveyard. This card cannot be destroyed by the effects of your opponent's Spells, Traps, or monsters. When your opponent's monster declares an attack, you can select it, then remove this card from play and negate the attack. During the End Phase, Special Summon this card that was removed by this effect.**

**Black Feather Dragon (OCG: "Black-Winged Dragon")**

**DARK**

**Level 8**

**Dragon/Synchro/Effect**

**2800/1600**

**Effect: 1 Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner monsters.**

**Whenever you would take damage from a direct attack or card effect, you can place 1 Black Feather Counter on this card instead. This card loses 700 ATK for each Black Feather Counter on it. Once per turn, you can remove any Black Feather Counters on this card to have any face-up monster(s) your opponent controls lose 700 ATK for each Black Feather Counter, and inflict damage to your opponent equal to the ATK lost by that monster because of this effect.**

**Mechlord Astro Machnicle (OCG: "Meklord Astro Mekanicle")**

**LIGHT**

**Level 12**

**Machine/Effect**

**4000/4000**

**Effect: Once per turn, you can select 1 face-up Synchro Monster your opponent controls, and equip it to this card. This card gains ATK equal to those equipped monsters' combined ATK. During your End Phase, you can send any of those monsters to the Graveyard to inflict damage to your opponent equal to its ATK. At any time, you can send 1 "Wisel", "Skiel", or "Granel" monster from your hand to the Graveyard to have this card gain that monster's effect(s) until the End Phase. If this card would be destroyed by your opponent's attack or card effect, you can banish 1 "Wisel", "Skiel", or "Granel" monster from your Graveyard instead.**

**Grannel Guard (OCG: "Granel Guard")**

**EARTH**

**Level 1**

**Machine/Effect**

**500/100**

**Effect: If you do not control a face-up "Mechlord Emperor" monster, destroy this card. When a monster you control is attacked, you can select a Synchro Monster equipped to a "Mechlord Emperor" you control: Treat it as a face-up Attack Position monster you control in the Spell & Trap Card Zone, until the end of the Damage Step, and change the attack target to it.**

**Grannel Attack (OCG: "Granel Attack)**

**EARTH**

**Level 1**

**Machine/Effect**

**1300/0**

**Effect: If there is no face-up "Mechlord Emperor" monster, destroy this card. All monsters you control inflict Piercing Battle Damage.**


	2. Facing Death

**Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's: The Ark Cradle Rewrite**

**Chapter 2: "Facing Death"**

"_Yusei, you die when you come to the Ark Cradle. I have seen the future." _

A long silence fell over Yusei and his friends as the weight of Sherry's words settled in. The only sound that could be heard was the sound of the wind dancing through the empty streets surrounding them. After a few moments, Aki broke the silence.

"Yusei's... going to die?"

Sherry nodded to her through the video screen on Yusei's D-Wheel.

"_That will be Yusei's future, if he comes to the Ark Cradle. I met someone who has shown me this future."_

"Yusei's gonna die?" Crow sounded irritated as he addressed the woman. "You're talking as if you're our enemy! Who the hell showed you such a vague future?!"

"_Z-one,"_ Sherry said in a flat tone.

"Z-one?" Yusei eyed his friend with questioning eyes.

"He's the master of the Ark Cradle. He's a man holding the power of God. Yusei, he's the man we met in the other dimension."

Yusei immediately thought back to a vision he, Sherry, and Bruno all shared at the Public Security Maintenance Bureau. It all happened too abruptly to make out the details, but Yusei distinctively recalled the fierce looking eyes that pierced his gaze on that day.

"He's... Z-one?"

"So he's the one controlling Yliaster?" Jack folded his arms as he pondered over his own question.

"_All that Z-one is doing is righteous. If you try to save Neo Domino City, Yusei, you will die. And the world's future will be lead to destruction!"_

Yusei ran toward his D-Wheel and gazed right into Sherry's eyes through his video screen.

"Sherry! Are you saying you're willing to destroy Neo Domino City?! If you do that, thousands...no, _millions_ of lives will be lost in the process!"

"_But by sacrificing that number, _billions_ of lives will be saved instead. And Yusei, that includes _your_ life as well."_

"There's no way there can be happiness in a future obtained by sacrificing so many people! Destroying Neo Domino City is the wrong way to go!"

Sherry lowered her brow. _"You'll be walking right into your death."_

"I won't know that unless I try."

Mizoguchi stepped in front of Yusei so he could speak with Sherry. "My Lady! Where are you right now?!"

"_I'm currently on the Ark Cradle."_

"So you mean he's holding you hostage...?!"

"_No. I am here of my own free will. Mizoguchi, I suggest you forget me."_ Sherry's dark tone sent a chill down Mizoguchi's spine.

"My Lady...!" The butler tried to hide his sorrow, but it was written all over his face.

"_Yusei, if you do not refrain from entering the Ark Cradle, I will do everything in my power to take you out."_

"What did you just say?!" Jack yelled at the woman while he shook his fists. "So you're our enemy now, is that it?!"

"I am..." The woman nodded solemnly to her former friends.

"But why, Sherry?!" Yusei met her intense eyes with his. "Don't you hate Yliaster?!"

"_After seeing the future, I changed my mind. I'm different from all of you."_

Leaving those words, Sherry faded from Yusei's video screen.

"My Lady!" Mizoguchi shouted at the top of his lungs, but to no avail.

"Sherry..." Yusei's voice quivered slightly as he stared at the blank screen.

**BREAK**

Up in the Ark Cradle, Z-one watched the scenery of Neo Domino City intently, appearing to be in deep thought. The video was noticeably upside down, as the Ark Cradle's perception of the city was in reverse. Z-one was removed from his thoughts when he heard Sherry's echoing footsteps. He cocked his metal head enough to look in Sherry's direction.

"You told Yusei everything, I presume?"

"Yes. But I'm certain he'll still be coming. He's not the type of man who would be scared of his own destiny."

"Then why bother telling him about his fated death?"

Sherry turned her gaze down to her feet as she continued. "It was simple courtesy toward my friend. It was also testimony of my parting with him." Pausing for a brief moment, Sherry lifted her head once more. Her expression was intense and frightening. "Because I'm going to kill him."

Z-one was about to say something when another pair of footsteps interrupted the two. Paradox entered the room, wearing a new outfit. He was dressed from head to toe in white and black, matching Sherry. He also wore a black cape with spikes on the shoulder area.

"I've heard enough, Z-one. It's obvious that Team 5D's will come here. If my calculations are correct, we have an hour at best before they find a way. Standing around here won't solve anything. I suggest we begin preparations immediately."

Z-one released a long sigh, momentarily closing his eyes. He opened them once more, looking more serious than he was a moment before. "Very well, Paradox. I'm listening."

**BREAK**

The streets of Neo Domino City were quickly filled to the maximum capacity by its citizens. Japanese people, including young children, walked on foot toward the city's exit.

Inside the Public Security Maintenance Bureau building, the members of Team 5D's stood in silence as they watched Yeager pace around the room impatiently. They were all dressed in different outfits. Yusei was wearing another blue jacket and grey underclothes. Aki wore red and white clothing, consisting of a dark red short skirt, long, black stockings, and a white blouse. Crow sported a dark brown vest over his orange T-shirt and his dark green pants. Rua and Ruka wore matching outfits that consisted of an opened hoodie jacket over an undershirt and baggy shorts. Rua's outfit had shades of blue while Ruka's had shades of pink and red. Bruno was wearing a white, blue, and yellow jacket over a pair of blue jeans. Jack had simply replaced his torn jacket with a new one that looked nearly identical. He also threw on a pair of raggedy jeans.

Yeager rubbed his hand over his chin as he pondered aloud.

"Whatever shall we do?! Even if we could crash into the Ark Cradle with a positive rotation, we do not know if it will be able to stop it. The only working Momentum we have right now is within the D-Wheels of Team 5D's and Team Ragnarok! And the Old Momentum rotating in reverse. I wonder if we could somehow use the energy from Old Momentum?"

"We can't use Momentum Minus Energy emitted from a reverse rotation!" Jack snapped. "Are you trying to start another Zero Reverse?!"

"If we could get up there somehow..." Yusei's voice trailed off in mid-sentence.

Crow shrugged, seeming a bit pessimistic. "All the helicopters and airplanes we've got rely on Momentum as the power source. We've got no way of flying up there."

"Even so, there must be a way we can get up there."

"What makes you think so, Yusei?" This was Jack asking.

"Sherry saw me go there in her vision of the future. That means I must get up there using a different method."

Bruno smiled and raised his index finger. "That's a positive way of looking at it."

"Right. Now we just need to find out what that method is."

A quivering voice cut in.

"I... think it would be better if we don't find out what the method is..."

Crow and Yusei dropped their conversation and turned to where Rua was speaking. He did not look at either of them, but instead looked at the floor as he spoke. Ruka looked notably depressed as well, sulking next to her brother. Aki was attempting to comfort them, as she had her hands on their shoulders.

"Because if he goes up there," Rua continued, "Yusei's gonna die, right?! We don't need to find a way to cause something like that!"

"Rua..." Yusei said, his voice expressing concern.

Rua left Aki and ran over to Yusei. Ruka immediately did the same.

"I don't want you to die, Yusei!"

"Me either!" Ruka mimicked her brother's actions.

Fresh tears began to pour out of the small boy's eyes. "Neo Domino City won't be saved by you doing tha-"

Rua was cut off by Jack, who grabbed him by his shirt and pulled him up to meet his eyes.

"Quit it with the useless complaints! I'll stop whatever that woman saw in the future! I won't let Yusei die!" Jack shook the child violently as he spoke, which only served to intensify his weeping.

"Jack!" Yusei called over to the man, wearing a look of concern.

Yeager darted over between the group. "J-J-Jack! Stop this at once! He's a child!"

Jack finally placed Rua on the ground. He then proceeded to scoff, folding his arms against his chest stubbornly.

Ruka moved toward her crying brother, looking on the verge of tears herself. Various emotions consumed the room as Yusei knelt before the child. He began to speak to him in a comforting voice.

"Rua, don't worry. Jack's right. I won't die."

Unable to contain them any longer, Ruka's tears emerged. She ran into Yusei's chest. Rua followed his sister. Yusei quietly placed his arms around the twins, whispering in their ears words of comfort.

"It'll be all right..."

Aki reached her limit as well, but she had no one to hold onto. She swallowed her tears and turned away painfully, shutting her eyes tight.

Silence befell everyone in the room. The only sounds that could be heard were Rua and Ruka, who continued to sob into Yusei's chest. This continued for many more minutes until their tears ran dry.

**BREAK**

The evacuation throughout Neo Domino City continued. Those who were fortunate enough to have transportation, such as Martha's group, were far ahead of the group. The children watched quietly as thousands walked on foot outside their bus. Among them, Carly stopped to look up at the Ark Cradle.

"Our city is..." Carly closed her eyes and began to pray. "Jack… Please be safe..."

Yusei now sat by himself in the lower level of the Pubic Security Maintenance Bureau. He left Rua and Ruka with the rest, asking for some time alone. He stared out the window at the ominous fortress floating above them.

Yusei's thoughts wandered, bringing him to the words of his deceased father. He met his father's wandering spirit in the other dimension when he traveled there with Sherry and Bruno. His father approached him to talk about the Ark Cradle when Yusei initially saw a vision of the destroyed future.

"_Yusei, you have to stay away from that place! It's the Final Momentum leading to the destruction of mankind."_

Yusei closed his eyes as his father's words echoed in his ears.

"_Father, I've made up my mind," _Yusei thought. _"I won't let a disaster like the Zero Reverse happen in this city ever again. Even if it costs me my life..."_

"Yusei…"

Yusei opened his eyes to see Harald, Brave, and Dragan standing in front of him. They were dressed in their Riding Suits, colorful outfits that had feathers sticking out of the shoulder areas. They had the initial 'R' painted on the left side of their chests.

"We need to speak with you."

"Team Ragnarok!"

"Starting right now," Harald continued, "we will use our own hands to build you a bridge to the Ark Cradle."

"What? You can do something like that?!"

Brave grinned, flashing Yusei a thumps-up. "Not alone, but we've got someone with the tool we need to do it."

As Brave spoke, another man stepped in. He had neatly trimmed, blue hair.

"You're from Team Black Baron." Yusei blinked, recalling the man they met earlier during the dinner party.

"Greetings, Yusei Fudo," the man started confidently. "I was unable to properly introduce myself earlier. My name is Siegfried Von Schroeder III."

"Schroeder? From the German gaming industry?"

"Yes, that is the one. I'm pleased that you know of me. My father, Siegfried Von Schroeder II, left behind the first Duel Monsters deck to focus on Norse Mythology. Ever since then, the archetype has evolved rapidly to what you see today. Though the cards held by my good friends of Team Ragnarok may indeed be more powerful, there is one card they do not own."

"What card is that?"

Sieg lifted a Magic Card from the top of his deck and showed it to Yusei. It had a picture of a rainbow in the image box. "This."

Yusei carefully read the Kanji written atop the card. "The Rainbow Bridge Bifrost?"

Harald nodded. "As it states in our Norse Mythology, the world of deities is connected to the world human beings dwell in by the Rainbow Bridge Bifrost."

"Though it's not the original," Sieg explained, "this is a card my father created himself before passing away. He left behind his legacy in the modern Duel Monsters world. I hold this before you with great pride."

"I see…"

Harald picked up where he left off. "The world the humans dwell in is known as Midgard in Norse mythology. And it is said that the God of Light, Heimdallur, stands guardian at the base of Bifrost. In present day, he is called the 'Candor of Light'."

"The Candor of Light...?" Yusei's eyes widened as he suddenly realized something. "You don't mean...! Are you talking about Old Momentum?!"

"I am. We will use the energy emitted by Old Momentum to manifest Bifrost."

"Using our D-Wheels and the power of the three Lords of Aesir," Dragan said, "we can turn the Minus Energy emitting from Old Momentum into a path."

"And this is the area you'll be riding over." Brave pulled a digital map from his pocket. He pressed a button that revealed a map in the form of a hologram. Yusei noted the area that was highlighted in red.

"That's…the Daedalus Bridge!"

**BREAK**

On the upper floor, Bruno was typing on his keyboard rapidly. His video phone suddenly vibrated, as an image of Yusei appeared on the icon. Bruno picked the phone up, pressed a button, and placed it against his ear.

"What's up?"

"_I want you to do something for me. Without letting the others notice, come to the lower floor."_

"Okay. Understood."

Bruno hung up his phone and quietly stood up. As he made his way to the door, Jack called over to him.

"Where are you going?"

Bruno stopped and hesitated for a moment. "Wha...? U-Uh, just gotta use the bathroom." Mustering a fake smile, he quickly exited the room through the swinging doors.

**BREAK**

Yusei, Siegfried, and Team Ragnarok relocated in a small storage shed in the back of the Public Security Maintenance Center building. Bruno was also with them, and he smiled as he watched Dragan carry a small generator over and set it on the ground.

"Using the power of the Old Momentum along with the power of the three Lords of Aesir is an impressive idea. I didn't think of it."

Harald stood next to Yusei. "Yusei, as someone who defeated a Yliaster in the W.R.G.P., you should be able to save this world. No matter what it takes, we will get you onto the Ark Cradle. That is our destiny."

Yusei chuckled lightly before offering a warm smile. "You sure love destiny."

"Hey! I found something useful!"

The men turned toward Brave, who was pushing a deserted ice cream cart in their direction.

"Good." Dragan used the cart to set the engine in.

Bruno got to work, tying the engine inside the cart with a rope. "There."

"Guess we'll manage with this," Brave said.

Bruno then used three more ropes to tie the cart to the end of the three D-Wheels being driven by Team Ragnarok. Bruno gave them a thumbs-up and grinned excitedly. "Okay. All set."

Yusei nodded and started his engine. "Let's set off."

Bruno stood on the end of the cart while Siegfried stood opposite to him, his back turned against Team Ragnarok. On Yusei's signal, Team Ragnarok started their D-Wheels and began to drag the cart, Bruno and Siegfried along with it, up the road. Yusei followed them on his D-Wheel.

Sieg spoke to Yusei, raising his voice so Yusei would hear him over the sound of the wind.

"Yusei, you should be aware that I haven't tested The Rainbow Bridge Bifrost out yet. Even I'm not sure what will happen if you attempt to do this."

"It doesn't matter. I have to try."

Siegfried smiled to himself. "I see. You are just the kind of man I thought you were." Sieg said this so Yusei couldn't hear. Bruno's sharp hearing allowed him to hear this comment, however, and he sulked. As if he knew something the others didn't, he stared up at the Ark Cradle with sad, yet resolved, eyes.

**BREAK**

Aki was awoken from her deep state of thought by a light beep emitted from the computer in front of her. She looked up and noticed a red dot moving on the map. She leaned forward and began to type swiftly, zooming in on the location. As she did this, an image of Yusei appeared on the screen as he rode down the highway.

Aki gasped. "That's...Yusei!"

"Where's he headed?" Crow asked.

Jack began to tap the keyboard as well, switching the computer to tracking mode. The red dot began to move toward the area of the Daedalus Bridge.

"His destination's Satellite?"

Yusei received a call from Jack on his D-Wheel's video phone. He looked down to see Jack glaring at him through his screen.

"_Yusei, where do you think you're going?"_

Yusei's face appeared on the screen at the Public Security Maintenance Bureau.

"_I'm about to create a path to the Ark Cradle on the Daedalus Bridge."_

"What'd you say?! Why didn't you tell us about something so important?!"

"_I'm sorry, everyone! I'm going to the Ark Cradle alone! All of you should get to safety immediately!"_

Without waiting for their answer, Yusei hung up.

"Yusei!" Jack called out to an empty screen.

"That freakin' idiot!" Crow gritted his teeth.

Turning toward Crow, Jack said, "We're going after Yusei!"

On that cue, Team 5D's ran toward the room's exit. Crow noticed Mizoguchi stressing out, shaking his fist violently in the air.

"If only my D-Wheel would work...!"

Crow flashed the man a thumbs-up and offered him a reassuring smile. "Don't worry! I'll bring Sherry back safely for you, mark my words!"

"Then Crow, please take this card." The butler pulled a Magic Card from the inner pocket of his suit jacket. He tossed the card over to Crow, who caught it in midair.

"This card..."

"It's a keepsake given to my lady by her father. If you should meet with her, please give it back to her."

"Got it. I'll make sure I do." Crow nodded to Mizoguchi before he ran out of the room.

"We're counting on you, Team 5D's!" Yeager called after them.

Mizoguchi solemnly closed his eyes. "I wish you luck."

**BREAK**

Team Ragnarok arrived at their destination, the condemned building in Satellite that held within it Old Momentum. The three arrived at a spiral staircase that went farther than they could see from the starting position. Without hesitation, they drove right over the stairs, bumping and rocking the entire way down. Bruno screamed as they made their dangerous journey down the stairs, clinging to the side of the ice cream cart as if his life depended on it. Sieg, on the other hand, had little reaction. He simply closed his eyes, waiting for it to be over.

Team Ragnarok came to a skid on the hard cement floor of the building's basement. As Harald's D-Wheel landed abruptly, the ice cream cart crashed onto the ground and split into pieces. Bruno was sent hurdling onto the cool surface of the floor, and Sieg soon joined him.

The two pulled themselves up and stared right into the Old Momentum, a massive pillar that shined in the vibrant glow of Momentum energy.

"That's Old Momentum, huh?" Dragan observed the pillar curiously.

Brave looked around at the dusty room. "So that's the original that went berserk in Zero Reverse, right? It feels pretty eerie."

"Let's get everything ready!" Bruno began to gather up the materials that were sprawled across the floor.

At the same time, Yusei sat atop his D-Wheel in front of the Daedalus Bridge. It was only half complete, as Rex Goodwin was interrupted by Security while he attempted to build it. It was left unfinished as a symbol of the unification between Satellite and the city.

Yusei felt a warm sensation wash over him as he stared at the rusty bridge that stopped in midair over the ocean below.

"The Daedalus Bridge... In the past, the legendary hero of Satellite jumped off of it, betting on changing the future. Goodwin, I've chosen the same path as you! Please guide me, so I can save Neo Domino City!"

**BREAK**

"Okay! Everything's ready," Bruno informed Team Ragnarok.

"Bruno, you should get out of here," Harald said.

"Got it." Bruno exited the basement quickly and headed back up the seemingly endless stairs.

Harald then turned to face Sieg with a sincere expression. "I'm counting on you, my old friend."

Sieg smirked as he turned his back to the man. "Please. Don't make this sound like a farewell, Harald." Sieg tossed a black rose at Harald's feet.

"Please be careful, Sieg," Dragan nodded to the man.

"I will play my part in all of this, so you three worry about yours." With that, Siegfried mimicked Bruno's actions, running through the door to the staircase.

Brave chuckled as he looked at the rose lying on the floor. "He just can't be honest, huh?"

Dragan politely bowed to the closed door, closing his eyes and raising both of his closed hands. "Let us all meet in the next life!"

Harald stared at the door quietly for a moment before he turned to his comrades. "Let's go!"

On their leader's command, Team Ragnarok began to start up their D-Wheels. The Old Momentum began to stir and whir as it responded to the energy that now surged through it.

"The Vahallander's running at full power!" Dragan was referring to his own D-Wheel.

"Now we just need to wait for Sieg's cue!" Brave called to them. "Let's get this baby warmed up until then!"

As Sieg finally made it back up to ground level, he saw Bruno quietly staring up at the Ark Cradle.

"Bruno, was it? You should evacuate this city immediately. There's no need for you to get involved in what we're about to do."

"I understand. I wish you the best of luck."

Bruno nodded to the man before he ran behind the old building.

When Sieg saw Bruno had gone, he glared up at the menacing structure floating above his head. He cracked his knuckles and flashed it a wide grin. He placed his right hand above his Duel Monsters deck.

"Well, my goddesses, we've got work to do."

Sieg placed his deck into his Duel Disk. He then took his video phone out of his pocket and dialed a number.

"_H-Hello?"_

"Danny. Smith. Can you two hear me?"

"_I can hear you just fine, Siegfried."_

Sieg gasped when he heard the same voice from his phone as well as directly in front of him. He looked up and saw Danny, the leader of Team Black Baron, standing beside the second member, Smith.

"You can put the phone away," Smith said.

Sieg's eyes widened slightly in surprise. "You two…"

Danny looked away from his eyes. "We tried, but we just couldn't abandon a fellow teammate. You were about to ask us to do something, right? Let's hear what it is."

Sieg gave his teammates a warm smile. "I guess I didn't give you two enough credit."

**BREAK**

In front of the Daedalus Bridge, Yusei was busy looking over his deck one final time before he began his attack. After he was fully satisfied, he returned the deck to his Duel Disk. As he did, he was startled by the rumbling of D-Wheels headed his way. He cocked his head up and saw Jack, Crow, and Aki riding on their D-Wheels, headed his way. Rua was riding on the back of Crow's D-Wheel, and Ruka was tagging along with Aki. The twins had backpacks hanging off of their backs.

"I'm the one who admired the legendary hero!" Crow called over. "You should've told me you were going to ride the bridge!"

Yusei now wore a troubled expression. "Guys..."

"Sorry, but you're letting us go too," Jack said.

"Yusei!" the twins shouted simultaneously.

"Why are you all...here?"

"I know the back roads way better than you do," Crow replied, raising his thumb. "It was easy to race on over here to catch up with you!"

Aki flashed Yusei a friendly smile. "I'm glad we caught you in time."

Yusei hesitated momentarily before looking away from their gaze. "I'm going up there alone. There's no telling what danger awaits us up there!"

Jack frowned. "Yusei, I won't stop you from going. This is you we're talking about here. Trying to stop you is a waste of time. But the same applies to all of us! Try and stop us all you like, but we're going up to that thing! No way will we accept a future where you die!"

Yusei's eyes lit up at that comment.

"Yusei," Aki continued, "we'll change your future, no matter what it takes."

"That's right, Yusei!" Rua shouted from behind Crow. "I'm a member of the strongest team out there! You should rely on me a bit!"

Crow gave Yusei a reassuring grin. "Right! No matter what was happening in the past, we always fought together! That's what Team 5D's is all about!"

Ruka gripped Aki's arm, pulling her head out so she could look Yusei in the eyes. "That's right! We defeated the Dark Signers! I know we can do this!"

After a moment, Yusei gave in and returned their smiles. "I understand. So let's go! Let's save Neo Domino City with our own hands!"

"Yeah!" Rua and Ruka pumped their arms in the air triumphantly.

Yusei and his friends revved their engines and placed their feet on the gas pedals. Just as they were prepared for their mission, a sudden chilling voice shattered their confidence.

"Do you really think it will be that easy?"

The members of Team 5D's shared a collective gasp as they turned around in all directions to locate the owner of the voice. There was no such owner.

The air was then filled with a shrieking laugh. A child's voice followed immediately after it.

"Just look at how confident they are! This should be fun!"

The air in front of the Daedalus Bridge distorted and appeared to literally slice in half. The visible mark in the air stretched, revealing an open passageway. Three figures stepped out of the dimension hole, and they were faces far too familiar to Team 5D's.

To the left was the tallest of the three. He had spikey grey hair that defied gravity, rising above his head. He wore armor on his body that was black and white. His right eye was covered by a mask that had the infinity symbol carved into it. His left eye was red in color, and he had a red streak underneath it. His name was Placido.

In the middle stood a smaller child with long, red hair that flowed down his back. He wore black and white armor similar to Placido. Unlike Placido, his right eye was exposed, while he had the mask on his left eye. His right eye was green in color, and he had a metal plate carved into his forehead. His name was Lucciano.

The third man was much older in appearance. Most of his face was covered by his metal mask, except for his left eye that was yellow in color. His right eye was covered by his scraggly hair and beard, grey in color. His bulkier body was entirely mechanical in appearance, and he had the infinity symbol carved into his chest. Like the other two, his armor was black and white in color. His name was Jose.

Together, these three made up Aporia, the Guardian of Despair.

Yusei's face tightened when he saw his foes.

"Impossible…! Why are you three here?!"

"We defeated Aporia!" Jack swung his fist in protest. "How can you three be here?!"

"Hmph. You're denser than I thought you were," Placido said in response. His voice was cool and sarcastic.

Jack's eyes tensed up. "What?!"

"How do you suppose it was I returned after failing once? We stand here because of our master, Z-one."

"So you're Aporia?" Aki asked. "You split back into the three emperors?"

"That is not entirely true," said Jose. "We stand here as mere clones of our formal selves." Jose stopped himself and closed his eyes for a moment. "No, perhaps 'clone' is not the correct term."

Lucciano eyed the old man darkly. "No need to tell them that, Jose. I doubt they'd understand."

"Never mind all that," Placido cut in. "Our true body, Aporia, is currently on the Ark Cradle. We're here to ensure you never get there."

"So you're gonna challenge us?" Crow sounded arrogant and irritated. "Yusei just wiped the floor with your ass, you bastards! So which one of you's gonna fight first? Or are we gonna split up into groups?"

Jose stared daggers into the teen. "Sorry, but we no longer have the time to honor the ordinary Dueling codes."

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Jack was growing more heated by the minute.

Placido raised his right arm and activated his Duel Disk. "It means this."

Lucciano giggled as he copied Placido's movements. "We won't stop until you're all dead!"

"In the name of Z-one!" Jose raised his Duel Disk high into the air in front of the far distant Ark Cradle, as if to emphasize his point.

Crow clicked his tongue. "Three-on-one, is it? Despicable bastards!"

"I told you!" Jose began to raise his voice. "We don't have time for order! Feel free to come at us all at the same time! It won't make any difference!"

Accepting the challenge, Rua activated his own Duel Disk. "Let's go, Ruka!"

"Right!"

Ruka, Aki, Jack, Crow, and Yusei followed suit.

The pavement below their feet began to glow a bright white, as a giant infinity sign formed around them.

"That's the mark of Yliaster," Yusei said.

Crow scoffed. "Now all damage becomes real. You guys do the same shit every time."

Placido drew his starting hand. "I'll go first! My turn! Draw!"

**[Placido's LP: 4000]**

"I Summon Wise Core in Defense Mode! I then set three cards face-down, ending my turn."

A miniature grey egg-like object appeared by Placido's feet, along with two hologram face-down cards.

Lucciano cackled. "My turn! Draw!"

**[Lucciano's LP: 4000]**

"I set one card face-down! I then activate the Magic Card, Reload from my hand! I send the five cards in my hand back into my deck, shuffle, and draw five new cards!" Lucciano quickly drew his five cards, skimming over them in seconds before continuing his turn. "I set two more cards face-down! Then I Summon Sky Core in Defense Mode! Turn end!"

Another egg-like object manifested, but this one was a sky blue in color.

"My turn! Draw!" As Jose drew his card, a large gust of wind passed right over his body, slapping against Team 5D's.

**[Jose's LP: 4000]**

"I Summon Grand Core in Defense Mode!"

A third egg-shaped object popped up. This one was copper in appearance.

"I activate the Magic Card, Acid Rain, from my hand! This card destroys all face-up Machine Monsters on the field!"

Aki narrowed her eyes. "They're going for their Mechlord Emperors!"

Jose lifted the card above his head. The sky darkened, and a yellow rain began to fall on the field.

Rua felt a sharp pain on his neck and grasped it with his hand. "What the heck? What's this feeling?"

Ruka looked up and felt her eyes sting. "It's acid rain! They've brought the effect of the card to life!"

Yusei winced, but managed to keep one eye open. "Just endure it, everyone!"

The Three Emperors of Yliaster did not appear to be phased in the least. The three egg-shaped objects on their field slowly eroded away, and the acid rain subsided.

Placido smirked. "Nicely done, Jose. Now we can end this quickly." He inserted his card into the slot on his Duel Disk for his Graveyard pile, and then grabbed a couple of cards from his hand. "When Wise Core is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon from my hand, deck, or Graveyard Mechlord Emperor Wisel, Wisel Top, Wisel Attack, Wisel Guard, and Wisel Carrier in Attack Mode!"

Multiple machine parts appeared and joined together to form one giant robot. It was light grey in color, and had the form of a human being.

"When Sky Core is destroyed," Lucciano continued, "I can Special Summon Mechlord Emperor Skiel, Skiel Top, Skiel Attack, Skiel Guard, and Skiel Carrier in Attack Mode!"

A second machine creature was formed, this one light blue in color. It took on the shape of a large mechanical bird.

"And when Grand Core is destroyed," Jose finished, "I can Special Summon Mechlord Emperor Grannel, Grannel Top, Grannel Attack, Grannel Guard, and Grannel Carrier in Attack Mode!"

The third robot was copper-colored, and it took on the appearance of a beast.

"Damn…! All three at once!" Jack began to sweat.

"I set four cards face-down, ending my turn! "

**[Mechlord Emperor Wisel's ATK: 2500 - 8700]**

**[Mechlord Emperor Skiel's ATK: 2200 - 8700]**

**[Mechlord Grannel's ATK: 4000]**

"Holy shit!" Crow stared at the stats with wide eyes. "How the hell did they get so powerful already?!"

"It's simple," Placido said. "Wisel and Skiel gain the Attack Power of all Mechlord Emperors on the field."

"In other words," Lucciano continued, "you can't hope to defeat us as a team!"

Yusei impatiently looked up toward the Ark Cradle, clenching his fists. "We don't have the time to waste here…!"

"If you want to go to the Ark Cradle so badly, do it after you defeat us!" Jose's voice bellowed into the still air.

Yusei and his friends took a step back as the three Mechlord Emperors loomed over them, seeming to back them into a corner.

"Now make your-"

Jose was cut off in midsentence when a black dog-like creature appeared out of nowhere, slashing the Mechlord Emperors. The force of the impact sent the machines flying back behind the three Yliaster Emperors.

Jose's exposed eye widened. "What?!"

Lucciano spun around in every direction. "Who was that?! Show yourself!"

Team 5D's remained silent as their jaws dropped from surprise.

"Did someone mention a Duel? Count me in!"

Kyosuke Kiryu rode a bike he stole from a junkyard in Satellite. He jumped off the bike, letting it slide right into Placido. Placido growled and smashed the bike into pieces with his bare hands.

"Who the hell are you?!"

Kiryu grinned in response. "I'm your worst nightmare!"

**[Kiryu's LP: 4000]**

**[Infernity Beast: LV3/1600/1200] **

"Kiryu!" Yusei called over to his friend.

"You damn fool!" Jack yelled over. "You should have evacuated with the others!"

Kiryu did not turn to face them. "That wouldn't satisfy me in the least! Team 5D's, get ready to go! I'll handle these guys!"

"It's too dangerous! Don't do it!" Yusei cried desperately.

"Shut up! I told you to get ready to leave!" Kiryu pulled three cards from his hand and inserted them on top of his Duel Disk. "I set three cards face-down and end my turn!"

Jose scoffed. "Fool! Do you really think you can defeat us alone?!"

"When did I ever say I was alone?!"

Lucciano gave him a confused look. "Huh?" The boy saw a shadow above his head, and turned his gaze upward to see Bomber riding his bike right over him.

"My turn! Draw!"

Bomber drew a card in midair as he let his bike fall right on top of Lucciano. The boy rolled his eyes and used a laser shield attached to his back to slice the bike in half.

"You guys think you're so clever, don't you?!"

"Bomber!" Crow yelled.

The muscular man made a perfect landing, not turning to answer Crow.

**[Bomber's LP: 4000]**

"I Summon Spell Reactor・RE in Attack Mode!"

A mechanical beast in the form of a maroon dragon appeared in front of him.

**[Spell Reactor****・****RE: LV3/1200/900]**

"I set three cards face-down and end my turn!"

Placido snarled when he saw several other people walking up behind Bomber. Upon further inspection, Placido recognized them as Andre, Breo, Jean, and Taro. He had, after all, watched the entire W.R.G.P. tournament, so he knew all the competitors.

"Don't forget about us!" Andre flashed Yusei a thumbs-up.

"Team Unicorn! Team Taiyou!"

"Team 5D's, you don't need to worry about a thing," Jean said, winking. "We've got your back."

Breo laughed. "Let's go, guys!"

"Dammit!" Lucciano moaned. "These cockroaches keep coming out!"

Placido grinned. "If they're cockroaches, we just need to crush them. That's all there is to it."

Andre drew his starting cards. "My turn! Draw!"

**[Andre's LP: 4000]**

"I discard Nimble Momonga from my hand so I can Special Summon the Tuner Monster, Egotistical Ape, in Attack Mode!"

A tiny chimp appeared on the field. When the chimp saw the Mechlord Emperors hovering over it, it got scared and released a powerful aura. The aura took the shape of an ape, and was purple in color.

**[Egotistical Ape: LV5/1200/1200]**

"When Special Summoned this way, Egotistical Ape can change its level by the level of the discarded Beast-Type Monster! Nimble Momonga is a Level Two, so Egotistical Ape's level drops by two!"

**[Egotistical Ape: LV5 - LV3]**

"Then I Normal Summon Playful Possum in Attack Mode! "

A rat-like creature scurried across the field, hissing.

**[Playful Possum:** **LV2/800/600]**

Andre turned to look at Breo and Jean. They nodded to him, giving him their approval.

"I'm Tuning my now Level Three Egotistical Ape with my Level Two Playful Possum!"

**[3+2=5]**

"Galloping in the heavens like thunder, crisscrossing them like a mighty gate. Appear forth from the world of myth and legend! Synchro Summon! Neigh, Thunder Unicorn!"

A blue horse with a yellow main and a horn on the top of its head galloped in front of Andre.

**[Thunder Unicorn: LV5/2200/1800]**

Placido smirked. "Hmph, to think they plan to use Synchro Monsters against our Mechlord Emperors."

"Sorry, but our decks are based around Synchro Summoning. I'm not about to stop my strategy just because you've got your cheap tricks! We fight with all we've got until we can't fight anymore! Even if we lose our Synchro Monsters next turn!"

"Such impudence," Jose mumbled.

"And from my hand, the Magic Card, Purgatory of Nothingness! When I have three or less cards in my hand, I can draw one card from my deck. I then discard my entire hand at the turn's End Phase." Andre drew his card, adding it to his hand. "I set two cards face-down and end my turn!"

A tiny black hole appeared behind Andre, sucking the remaining card in his hand up into it.

"My turn! Draw!" Breo drew his card and began looking at his hand.

**[Breo's LP: 4000]**

"I activate the Magic Card, Chosen One!"

A spin top in the shape of a demon appeared in the center of the field.

"I select one Monster Card and two Magic or Trap Cards from my hand and place them face-down on the field. You have to then randomly choose one of those cards. If you guess the card correctly, the Monster is Special Summoned, ignoring Summoning conditions. If it's a Magic or a Trap, all three cards go to the Graveyard."

Three holographic cards appeared on each three sides of the spin table.

Jose lowered his brow. "Now you rely on luck? Very well. I choose the middle card."

"Bingo! I Special Summon Mine Mole in Defense Mode! The other two cards go to my Graveyard."

A small mole with a flower on its nose appeared. It was holding a pick axe and wearing a construction hat.

**[Mine Mole: LV3/1000/1200]**

"Taking so much risk for such a weak Monster?" Placido snorted.

"Then I Normal Summon the Tuner Monster, Bicorn Re'em, in Attack Mode!"

An orange-furred sabertooth tiger with two horns on its head came onto the field.

**[Bicorn Re'em: LV4/800/1600] **

"I'm Tuning the Level Four Bicorn Re'em with the Level Three Mine Mole!"

**[4+3=7]**

"Galloping in the heavens like thunder, tearing apart the sea of clouds! These hooves will rip across the surface of the Earth! Synchro Summon! Roar, Voltic Bicorn!"

A cloud of thunder subsided, revealing a black and yellow unicorn with a green main. It had lightning as its main.

**[Voltic Bicorn: LV7/2500/2000]**

"When Mine Mole is used as Synchro Material, I can draw one card from my deck." Breo leaned forward and pulled a card off the top of his deck. "Then, when Bicorn Re'em is used as Synchro Material, my opponent sends the top two cards of their decks to the Graveyard! This is a Battle Royale, so I get to choose who does it! You three, discard two cards from your deck!" Breo pointed to the emperors.

Lucciano looked unpleased. "Stalling for time, eh? So predictable." He discarded the top two cards of his deck.

Placido did so in silence.

"Buying time won't save you or Team 5D's," Jose said as he discarded as well.

Breo let the comment slip past him. "I set two cards face-down and end my turn."

Jean turned to Yusei and gave him a wink. He regained his focus and drew his cards. "My turn! Draw!"

**[Jean's LP: 4000]**

"I Summon Trident Warrior in Attack Mode!"

A man wielding a three-pronged staff, known as a trident, marched onto the field. He was wearing shades of blue and blue-green.

**[Trident Warrior: LV4/1800/1200]**

"When this card is successfully Summoned,I can Special Summon a Level Three or lower Monster from my hand to the field! Special Summon! Delta Fly!"

A larger-than-normal dragonfly flew around Jean on the field.

**[Delta Fly: LV3/1500/900] **

"I activate Delta Fly's Monster Effect!Once per turn, I raise the level of a Monster on the field excluding itself by one!Now Trident Warrior's level becomes five!"

**[Trident Warrior: LV 4 - LV5]**

"I'm Tuning my now Level Five Trident Warrior with my Level Three Delta Fly!"

**[5+3=8]**

"Galloping in the heavens like thunder, going through the pitch black sky,this lightning will strike the Earth and incinerate it!Synchro Summon!Shine, Lightning Tricorn!"

A unicorn wearing shiny golden armor appeared. It had pink wings attached to its back. It released a long neigh when it saw its unicorn friends on the field.

**[Lightning Tricorn: LV8/2800/2000]**

"I set three cards face-down, ending my turn!"

Jean turned over to Taro, who was standing the farthest to the left.

"Show them what you've got, Team Taiyou leader!"

Taro nodded respectfully before drawing his starting hand. "My turn! Draw!"

**[Taro's LP: 4000]**

Taro closed his eyes, letting his current surroundings fade away from him. He thought back to his conversation with Jinbei and Yoshizo before he parted with them.

"_Don't be crazy, Taro!"_ Jinbei had said. _"Of course we're coming with you!"_

"_We're friends with Team 5D's too, you know!" _Yoshizo continued.

"_No, I want you two to evacuate," _Taro recalled himself saying. _"Listen, I'm the only one who has Sleeping Giant Thud. To be honest, I don't think I stand much of a chance even with Thud, so what can you two expect to do with your decks?"_

"…"

"_Besides, someone has to go back home and tell the village this great story. And you guys have to be the ones to do it."_

Jinbei sighed, placing a hand on his shoulder. _"I understand. We'll do as you want. Just make sure you come back to us, leader."_

Yoshizo began to tear up. _"Promise!"_

Taro left the two with a smile. _"Of course."_

In the present, Taro came back to his senses. He grabbed a hard from his hand and slapped it onto his Duel Disk. "I Summon Holding-Hands Majin in Defense Mode!"

A goofy-looking monkey creature with batty-like wings appeared in front of Taro, grunting and groaning.

**[Holding-Hands Majin: LV4/1000/1600]**

"I activate a Magic Card from my hand! One for One! This card lets me send a Monster Card from my hand to my Graveyard in order to add a Level One Monster from my deck into my hand. I discard Bat to add the Level One Key Mace from my deck into my hand, and I then Summon her in Defense Mode."

A petite fairy flew onto the field. She wore a blue elf outfit with a pointy hat. She was no larger than Taro's hand.

**[Key Mace: LV1/400/300]**

"Jin, Yoshi, I'm going to honor the name Taiyou in this Duel! The effect of Holding-Hands Majin increases its Defense Power by the total Defense Power of all other Defense Mode Monsters on my field."

**[Holding-Hands Magin's DEF: 1600 - 1900]**

"Then I activate the Magic Card, Enchanting Fitting Room, from my hand! First I pay 800 Life Points!

**[Taro's LP: 4000 - 3200]**

"Then I draw four cards from my deck and Special Summon all Level Three or lower Normal Monsters." Taro viewed the cards in his hand and smiled. "It's a good thing I have way too many weak Normal Monsters in my deck. I Special Summon Kageningen, Different Dimension Trainer, and Plant of the Demon World, all in Defense Mode!"

**[Kageningen: LV2/800/600]**

**[Different Dimension Trainer: LV1/100/2000]**

**[Plant of the Demon World: LV1/400/300]**

**[Holding-Hands Magin's DEF: 1900 - 4800]**

"The fourth card I drew is then shuffled back into my deck."

The three emperors looked unimpressed as they watched Taro shuffle the card back into his deck and insert it back into his older model Duel Disk.

"I set three cards face-down. Turn end."

Ruka looked to her teammates worriedly. "Will they be all right?"

Bomber turned to look toward her. "Don't you worry about us! Just focus on departing!"

Kiryu looked toward Satellite. "Hurry it up, Team Ragnarok…!"

"I suppose that would be my cue then."

Everyone present turned their attention to Siegfried, who was approaching on foot from behind Team 5D's. He wore a confident expression, flipping his hair back with his free hand.

"Ah! It's that weirdo from the dinner!" Rua pointed toward the man.

"I'll ignore your insult, young one," said Sieg, un-phased. "Now is not the time. I've come here to help Team Ragnarok make a path for you."

"Can you really do it?" Yusei turned to face the man, looking right into his eyes.

Sieg returned his gaze, offering him a reassuring smile. "Of course. The only way to open the gates of Asgard is through Dueling. Allow me to be your final opponent, Team New World!" Sieg raised his left arm and proceeded to activate the Duel Disk. After using his Duel Disk's automatic shuffler to shuffle his deck, he drew his starting hand. As he did this, he took his new position in front of Team 5D's, beside Kiryu on the far left of their line. "It's my turn! Draw!"

**[Sieg's LP: 4000]**

"Yliaster, I will show a scene far too beautiful for you!" Sieg raised a black rose to his mouth, kissing it.

Jose stared at the man with a blank expression. "Oh? Amusing."

"I activate the Magic Card, Angel's Charity! This card lets me draw three cards from my deck. I then discard two cards from my hand."

As Sieg did so, the three emperors watched him, seeming uninterested.

"I will then activate the Magic Card, Pot of Greed, which allows me to draw two additional cards." A small smirk appeared on Sieg's face when he viewed the cards he just drew. "Here it is. I activate the Magic Card, Walkuren Ritt!"

The group watched as a tornado of rose petals manifested on the field, blowing past all of them in the process. Sieg's hair blew upward as he slammed the card down on his Duel Disk. "Witness the dance of a thousand roses, villain scum! Show yourself, my Valkyries! The female knights of Norse Mythology created by my father decades ago! Walkuren Ritt allows me to Special Summon as many Valkyrie Monsters from my hand as possible. Valkyrie Dritte! Valkyrie Erste! Valkyrie Zwei! Attack Mode!"

Three female knights riding horses emerged from the rose petals. They were dressed in ancient clothing and a crystal-coated armor. The three women had the hair colors red, blue, and purple respectively.

**[Valkyrie Dritte: LV4/1000/1600]**

**[Valkyrie Erste: LV6/1600/1800]**

**[Valkyrie Zwei: LV5/1600/1600]**

Aki's eyes lit up as she admired the three knights. "They're so beautiful…"

Sieg cocked his head to look at Aki. "Team 5D's, keep your eyes glued on the Daedalus Bridge!" Aki immediately turned back around.

Smiling, Sieg turned back toward his adversaries. "I activate the Magic Card, Final Light! I pay 1000 of my Life Points to Special Summon one Light-Attribute Monster from my Graveyard! The Monster I select is the Valkyrie Brunnhilde I discarded earlier!"

**[Sieg's LP: 4000 - 3000]**

A transparent curtain appeared in front of Sieg. It slowly rose above his head, up toward the distant Daedalus Bridge standing in the background. The curtain opened, revealing a portal of white light. Another female knight came out of the portal. She was different from the other three, as she wore a sapphire blue armor and rode a black-haired horse.

**[Valkyrie Brunnhilde: LV7/1800/200]**

"Final Light also allows my opponents to Special Summon one Monster from their Graveyard with 2000 Attack Power or less to the field in face-up Attack Mode. This is a Battle Royale, so all of you are treated as my opponents. That means all of you can Special Summon from your Graveyard."

Jose narrowed his eyes. "Hmph, I pass."

Lucciano threw his hands up in annoyance. "Boring! I pass too."

Placido closed his eyes nonchalantly. "I have nothing."

"I have no Monsters in my Graveyard," Kiryu said.

Bomber shook his head. "Neither do I."

Andre also passed, not being able to Special Summon his Egotistical Ape from the Graveyard.

"Then allow me to oblige!" Breo cut in. "I Special Summon Bicorn Re'em from my Graveyard in Attack Mode!"

**[Bicorn Re'em: LV4/800/1600]**

As did Jean. "I Special Summon Trident Warrior from my Graveyard in Attack Mode!"

**[Trident Warrior: LV4/1800/1200]**

"I pass," Taro said.

"Very good," Sieg continued. "Now I activate the effect of my Valkyrie Zwei! Once per turn, she can destroy one Monster on my opponent's side of the field! The Monster I target is Mechlord Emperor Skiel!"

Lucciano's eyes twitched in irritation. "Scum like you destroying my Mechlord Emperor?! Get real! Trap Card, activate! Convert Ghost! When a card effect targets a Mechlord Emperor Monster on my field, I can Banish a Monster from my Graveyard to negate it! I Banish Sky Core from my Graveyard! Absorb the attack!"

The sky blue egg-shaped object jumped out of Lucciano's Graveyard. As Zwei fired a beam of light from her sword, Sky Core absorbed it and exploded.

Sieg had no reaction to the counter.

"Sorry! Try again next time!" Lucciano stuck out his tongue as he teased Sieg.

As Lucciano continued his taunt, Sieg's mouth formed into a grin. "I succeeded."

"Huh?"

Sieg raised his head from glancing down at his watch as he lifted the microphone on his headset to his lips. "Harald, it's time to begin."

**BREAK**

Harald smiled as he heard his friend. "Excellent job, Siegfried. You bought us enough time." Harald turned to his peers, his left eye lighting up as he did so. "It's time! Let's go, everyone!"

"Yeah!" Dragan and Brave, who were now wearing helmets along with Harald, spoke in unison. Their left eyes also lit up.

Dragan lifted a card from his deck as he charged his D-Wheel at full power. "When the door to Asgard opens, the Ancient War God will raise up his magical hammer! The very Earth itself will shake as he appears from a roar of thunder! Descend, Thor, Lord of the Aesir!"

Brave nodded to Dragan as he watched the Thor card light up. "A fickle god is born in Asgard! Laugh at the world while you show them absolute power! Descend, Loki, Lord of the Aesir!"

Harald gripped his third card tightly before raising it up above his head. "O mighty king, he who rules over the Heavens circling the Northern Stars! The time has now come to show your mighty self! He who reigns over the world ordained by the Gods! The highest of all beings! Supreme Ruler! Odin, Father of the Aesir!"

The Daedalus Bridge began to light up in multiple shades. Three enormous figures rose above the shrine of the Old Momentum. The first was Thor, a square-faced being with broad shoulders and thick armor. The second, Loki, was a green-skinned being with a shady expression. He wore colorful robes and a thick, black beard. The third was an older man with a long, white beard wearing gold and red robes. His missing left eye was replaced by an artifact. The giants loomed high above Neo Domino City, staring down at the Yliaster Emperors.

"The three Lords of Aesir!" Yusei stared up at the titans with a smile on his face.

"The time has come, Team 5D's!" Without looking toward them, Sieg addressed them with his arms outstretched. "We will build you a path to the Ark Cradle! The second you see the holy light, drive with every ounce of strength you have!"

Jose's exposed eye went bloodshot as he realized what they were trying to do. "It's useless! None of you will take a single step off this ground!"

Sieg pulled his black rose from his pocket and twirled it around in his fingers. "The Norse Gods say differently! You now stand before supremacy, fools! I will teach you the manners these gods demand! Magic Card, activate! The Rainbow Bridge!"

Back in front of the Old Momentum, Sieg's D-Wheel began to glow with a vibrant light. "Momentum is the power controlled by humanity! We will use everything we've got to utilize it!"

At Daedalus, Sieg tossed his rose into the air and spread his arms up toward the sky. "Appear before us! That which connects us to the world of the Gods! Bifrost!"

As Sieg's card activated, the three Lords of Aesir raised their arms above Old Momentum. A ball of light appeared in between the three giants, quickly extending into the form of a rainbow. The skies lit up with an aurora that spread throughout the entire Neo Domino City. The rainbow formed a solid bridge of light energy that extended from the unfinished Daedalus Bridge all the way to the base of the Ark Cradle, wrapping around the structure multiple times.

Aki looked impressed by what she saw. "A path connected to the Daedalus Bridge!"

Yusei looked up at the rainbow bridge with awe. "So that's the Rainbow Bridge Bifrost that connects us to the world of the Gods. You did it, Team Ragnarok!"

Siegfried stood beneath his bridge with a look of pride on his face. "As long as the Rainbow Bridge Bifrost remains face-up on my field, all Valkyrie Monsters gain 500 Attack Points!"

**[Valkyrie Dritte's ATK: 1000 - 1500]**

**[Valkyrie Erste's ATK: 1600 - 2100]**

**[Valkyrie Zwei's ATK: 1600 - 2100]**

**[Valkyrie Brunnhilde's ATK: 1800 - 2300]**

Inside the Old Momentum, Team Ragnarok grunted and groaned as yellow sparks coursed up from their D-Wheels into their bodies.

"Endure it, you two!" Harald managed through short breaths. Brave and Dragan could not muster up the strength to reply. They did, however, maintain a straight face despite their pain.

Yusei roared his engine and placed his hands on his handles. He turned his head to face his friends one last time. "Be careful, everyone!"

Kiryu grinned and flashed him a thumbs-up. "Go, Team 5D's! Yusei!"

With that, Yusei sped up the Daedalus Bridge, his friends shortly behind him. Within a matter of seconds, they crossed over the edge of the Daedalus Bridge into the solid rainbow bridge underneath their D-Wheels.

**BREAK**

In the Public Security Maintenance Bureau, Yeager spotted Team 5D's riding up Bifrost.

"Oh! That's...!"

Mizoguchi's face tensed up as the scene played before him. "Yusei... You finally found a way, I see...! A path onto the Ark Cradle! I'm entrusting my lady to you!"

"And I'm entrusting Domino City to you!" Yeager called out to the screen.

At the edge of the Daedalus Bridge, Jean chuckled as he watched his friends ride through the sky. "So there they go."

Taro smiled and quietly whispered, "Good luck, guys…"

"Don't think you'll make it!" Jose roared at the top of his lungs. "I told you before that we're not following the rules this time! Go, Grannel!"

Placido and Lucciano joined in.

"Wisel!"

"Skiel!"

As the three machine emperors rose into the air, they were knocked backwards by multiple attacks from every Monster opposing them on the field.

Kiryu laughed, standing his ground firmly. "And don't think we're playing fair and square here either!"

"Our friends are currently a little busy!" Andre's tone was sarcastic. "We'd like for you to leave them be for a bit."

Placido bit his lip and growled. "Puny insects…!"

Sieg lowered his eyes and pressed a button on his headset before speaking into it again.

"Danny! Smith! Are you two ready to play your role?"

"_Not really, but let's get it over with!"_

Sieg smirked. "Excellent." He lifted his head to face the three emperors. "It's show time."

Lucciano raised an eyebrow. "What the heck're you talking about?"

"Didn't you notice? I only had four cards in my starting hand. Where do you suppose the other card is?" As he spoke, Sieg waved his empty hand around to emphasize his point.

Jose scoffed. "Just what are you trying to-"

Without saying a word, Sieg took his video phone from his pocket and waved it in front of Jose. The old man's eyes widened as he saw Team Black Baron on the screen holding a card in their hand.

Placido lowered his brow angrily. "What's the meaning of that?"

Sieg made a mocking gesture with his hand as he laughed. "Just to be clear, I never intended to play fair with you villains from the start. My first hand was rigged, you see." Sieg raised his left index finger. "My teammates hold the final piece to the puzzle! Allow me to show you the finalization of my father's legacy! A card I created with my own two hands! The Magic Card, Prose Edda!"

Breo raised an eyebrow curiously. "What's that card? I've never even heard of it."

"Upon this card's activation, I halve my Life Points!"

**[Sieg's LP: 3000 - 1500]**

Lucciano giggled in response. "Did the bastard choose suicide? Not that I blame him."

Jose, however, had a darker outlook. "No…"

"By halving my Life Points," Sieg continued, "I can Special Summon from my Extra Deck as many Goddess Synchro Monsters as my Monster Zones permit. I Special Summon my three goddesses!"

"The bastard really has gone mad!" Lucciano began to sound more serious. "Trying to play three Monsters when he's only got one open space!"

Sieg showed a twisted expression in return. "But I never once said I was playing them on my field. I merely told you what was written on the card!"

Placido took a step forward. "What?"

"My goal is much higher!" Sieg pointed up to the Ark Cradle floating above, and Team 5D's riding in the background.

"Hmph! Do you really think you'll be able to do that?!"

"Great goddesses of the Aesir, show them your radiant beauty that transcends all reason! Open the doors to Valhalla with a flourishing finale! Special Summon! Skuld, Goddess of the Aesir! Urd, Goddess of the Aesir! Verdandi, Goddess of the Aesir!"

"Lowly human! Learn your place!"

As Placido flung his arm forward, Wisel began to charge toward him. The attack was blocked by the other Monsters on the field.

A vein appeared above Placido's right eye. "Disgusting ants!"

As Team 5D's continued riding above the waters of the city, Rua screamed bloody murder as he hugged Crow's back tightly. He had noticeable tears in his eyes.

"We're going at full speed!" Jack called out, ignoring Rua.

Rua buried his head into Crow's jacket. "Crow, safely! Drive safely!"

Three robbed females dashed past them suddenly, startling them. The ladies were roughly twice the size of a normal human being.

**[Skuld, Goddess of the Aesir: LV9/2800/3400]**

**[Urd, Goddess of the Aesir: LV9/2800/3400]**

**[Verdandi, Goddess of the Aesir: LV9/2800/34]**

Crow looked up and tried to talk over Rua, still screaming at the top of his lungs behind him. "What was that?!"

"Forget it!" Jack cocked his head enough to look at him. "Just keep moving ahead!"

The three goddesses flew to the bottom of the Ark Cradle, splitting up and positioning themselves on each side of the structure. They extended their arms and began chanting in an unknown language. As they did, a magical white ring manifested around the Ark Cradle, holding it firmly in place.

Aki and Ruka raised their arms above their eyes to block out the intense light. "Those Monsters! They're trying to stop the Ark Cradle from falling!" said Aki.

Back on the ground, Jose was indifferent. "That's a waste of energy. Do you really think your puny Monsters can hold up our fortress?"

Sieg winced as he felt a sudden jolt enter his body. Through clenched teeth, he managed, "Even if it only saves a few extra lives, it's well worth trying!"

"Don't get cocky just because Yusei Fudo defeated us!" Placido began to scream at the top of his lungs. "You're not even Signers! Don't think you're anywhere near a match for us! I'll clean all you trash up quickly and stop Yusei Fudo and his friends before they reach the Ark Cradle! My turn! Draw!"

**[Placido's LP: 4000]**

"Trap Card, Wise A3! I send Wisel Attack to the Graveyard in order to Special Summon Wisel Attack 3 from my hand!"

One of Wisel's Arms vanished and was replaced by a much sturdier looking arm with a cannon attached to it.

**[Wisel Attack 3: LV3/1600/0]**

"Once per turn, Wisel can absorb the opponent's Synchro Monster! Wisel, absorb Lightning Tricorn! Synchro Absorption!"

Unable to do anything, Jean lowered his eyes. "Damn…"

**[Mechlord Emperor Wisel's ATK: 8700 - 11500]**

**[Mechlord Emperor Skiel's ATK: 8700 - 11500]**

"I'll take you out one by one! Machine Emperor Wisel, attack Trident Warrior! Stainless Steel Slash!"

**[11500 VS 1800]**

Jean braced himself for the impact.

"Trap Card, open! Dimension Trap!"

A large hole in the sky swallowed up the impact from Wisel's incoming arm. Placido looked over toward Andre with wide eys. "What?!"

"I Banish my own Thunder Unicorn in order to select one Trap Card from my Graveyard and add its effect to Dimension Trap! I choose Threatening Roar! This forbids you from declaring an attack this turn!"

Placido covered his ears as a sharp howl was emitted from Andre's Graveyard.

"Trap Card, open!" A card flipped up on Lucciano's field. "Trap Stun! This negates all Trap Cards on the field for the remainder of the turn!"

"I'll stop it!" Breo interrupted. "I chain my Quick-Play Magic Card, Double Cyclone! I destroy my own set Barrier Wave and your Trap Stun! My Magic Card chains before your Trap has a chance to negate it! This stops Placido's attack, like Andre originally planned!"

Two tornadoes formed that destroyed the cards in question. Lucciano threw his hands up, obviously defeated. "Aw, shit!"

"I'll then activate my final Trap Card, Chain Whirlwind! When a card on my field is destroyed, I can destroy an additional two Magic or Trap Cards on the field. I'll destroy the Convert Ghost you reset on your field and your other set card!"

Breo's efforts were shot down by Jose. "Such foolishness! I activate my Trap Card, Infinity Wall! This card negates all card effects that would destroy our cards during this turn. As a result, your Chain Whirlwind is rendered useless!"

Breo silently gritted his teeth as he watched his card shatter before his eyes.

Placido scoffed and looked down at his Duel Disk. "Hmph. I set one card face-down. Turn end!"

Placido turned up and saw Team 5D's were about halfway up to the Ark Cradle. "Damn you, Team 5D's…"

"My turn! Draw!"

**[Lucciano's LP: 4000]**

"Mechlord Emperor Skiel, Synchro Absorption! Absorb Voltic Bicorn! Consider this payback for destroying my card!"

Breo cursed as his unicorn was stolen from him. "Shit…"

**[Mechlord Emperor Skiel's ATK: 11500 - 14000]**

**[Mechlord Emperor Wisel's ATK: 11500 - 14000]**

"Skiel, attack Bicorn Re'em! Sky Crusher!"

"No you don't!" Lucciano jerked his head toward the direction of Kiryu's voice. "I activate the Trap Card, Dodge Roll! It negates all Battle Damage during this turn!"

A giant die appeared and blocked Skiel's bullets.

"Tch…! All you're doing is stalling for time! I set one card face-down and end my turn!"

"Allow me to put a stop to your insolence! My turn! Draw!"

**[Jose's LP: 4000]**

Jose eyed his comrades with a patronizing stare. "You two are rushing into battle without even thinking. There's a way to accomplish both of our objectives at once!"

Lucciano rolled his eyes. "Enlighten me."

Placido clicked his tongue. "Such arrogance."

"Mechlord Emperor Grannel, absorb Skuld, Goddess of Aesir! Synchro Absorption!

**[Mechlord Emperor Grannel's ATK: 4000 - 6800]**

**[Mechlord Emperor Skiel's ATK: 14000 - 20800]**

**[Mechlord Emperor Wisel's ATK: 14000 - 20800]**

"Grannel, attack Team 5D's and Valkyrie Brunhilde at the same time! Grand Slaughter Cannon!"

Kiryu clenched his fist and began to sweat. "Damn, there's nothing in my hand…!"

The others closed their eyes in frustration, unable to do anything to stop the attack.

Grannel moved behind Sieg on the opposite side of the field in the blink of an eye. Before Sieg could even turn around, it fired a beam of light that shot through Sieg's arm and then through Valkyrie Brunhilde's chest, shattering her armor. Sieg coughed up blood as he stumbled forward on his feet.

The beam of light continued past the Daedalus Bridge and toward the area where Team 5D's rode up the rainbow bridge.

5D's heard the noise and gasped when they saw the beam headed right for them.

"What?!" Jack scrambled to come up with an idea, but Yusei stopped him with a wave of his arm.

"I've got this, Jack." Yusei removed his deck and quickly searched through it. He located a card and held it out in front of him. "Scrap-Iron Scarecrow!"

A junky-looking metal scarecrow appeared, blocking the Grand Slaughter Cannon.

Jose scoffed at their efforts. "It won't work!"

The scarecrow was snapped in half as the attack continued. It was again blocked by a wall of light.

"Twinkle Wall!" Ruka held up her own Trap Card.

Rua joined in. "Electric Shock!"

"Rose Blizzard!"

"Down Force"

"Demon's Chain!"

The wall of light was reinforced by snow, electricity, glass, and a set of chains. Aki, Rua, Crow, and Jack grunted as they used their strength to hold the attack back.

"Keep moving, everyone!" Yusei called to his friends. "Keep going until you're out of Grannel's reach!"

By the time Grannel broke through their barriers, Team 5D's had escaped its reach. The beam of light faded before it could reach its target.

Bomber sighed as he saw 5D's get away safely. He then turned to Sieg with a pained expression, seeing his serious injury.

Jose growled. "Even so, I accomplished one of my goals. Now fall into Hell!"

Sieg struggled to maintain his balance. He clutched his bleeding arm, additional blood dripping from his mouth. "It's up to you now, 5D's. I wish you luck."

**[Sieg's LP: 1500 - 0]**

Sieg finally succumbed to his injury and fell forward on his stomach.

Bomber winced and turned away from the fallen Duelist. "That damn fool! He used himself as bait to protect us!"

"He's one crazy bastard," Kiryu said. "I'll be sure to win this for you, Siegfried Von Schroeder!"

Sieg managed to lift his head through pained grunts. He saw his two remaining goddesses vanish from beneath the Ark Cradle, and the structure began to plummet once again. He struggled to hold up his Duel Disk, keeping the Rainbow Bridge Bifrost active.

"_Sieg! Sieg, are you okay?! Answer! Sieg!"_

Sieg mustered the energy to respond to his leader calling out to him through his headset. "I can hear you…idiot."

Yusei saw the goddesses disappear. He turned and saw Sieg's body far in the distance. "Sieg!"

Jose stared at the injured man with emotionless eyes. "One down. I set one card face-down, ending my turn."

Kiryu turned to look at Sieg one more time before he quietly placed his hand on his deck. "Your sacrifice won't be in vain! My turn! Draw!"

**[Kiryu's LP: 4000]**

"Trap Card, activate! Limit Impulse! I discard two cards from my hand to Special Summon two Soul Tokens in Defense Mode!"

A bright blue flame flared up from Kiryu's Duek Disk, forming two small bodies with glowing red eyes.

**[Soul Token x2: LV1/0/0]**

Kiryu's expression suddenly changed, turning into a confident grin. "Now I have zero cards in my hand!"

"I see," Placido said wryly. "You're one of the former Dark Signers, Kysokue Kiryu. You were quite well known among that group for your Handless Combo." Placido's tone changed to a darker one. "But the Dark Signers answered to Yliaster, not the other way around!"

"We'll see, won't we? I activate the Magic Card, ZERO-MAX! When I have no cards in my hand, I can Special Summon an Infernity Monster from my Graveyard! I Special Summon the Tuner Monster, Infernity Avenger, in Defense Mode!"

A vortex of black light opened in front of Kiryu. Out of that vortex emerged a small demon-like doll with red eyes, long hair, and two pistols in its hands.

**[Infernity Avenger: LV1/0/0] **

"It has zero Attack Points, so the other effect of ZERO-MAX won't activate, sparing our Monsters.

Taro released his breath he had been holding for a few minutes. "Thank goodness. That card destroys all Monsters with Attack Power lower than the Special Summoned Monsters. But you can't get anything lower than zero."

Kiryu gave Taro a thumbs-up. "Don't worry, Taro. I know you're trying to Summon Thud. I don't intend to get in your way of doing so."

Taro smiled in return. "Thanks."

Kiryu turned back toward his enemy as his expression became more serious. "I switch Infernity Beast into Defense Mode! Then I activate the Magic Card, Infernity Burst! It inflicts 800 points of damage to my opponent for each Infernity Monster I control on the field! I have two, so that's 1600 damage!"

Lucciano scoffed as two balls of fire were shot in his direction. "Oh, please! Trap Card, Infinity Force! It negates the effect damage and destroys all your Monsters on the field!"

Kiryu's eyes widened as a gust of wind shot his own fire balls back onto his field, striking his Infernity Beast and his Infernity Avenger. Both were eradicated in a painful execution. Kiryu screamed as he felt the force of their deaths, which landed him on his knees.

"We told you! You don't stand a chance against us!"

Kiryu gritted his teeth. "Turn end…"

Bomber took a step forward. "My turn! Draw!"

**[Bomber's LP: 4000]**

"I Summon Trap Reactor・Y FI in Defense Mode!" A green tank-shaped Monster joined Bomber on his field.

**[Trap Reactor****・****Y FI: LV4/800/1800] **

"Then I switch Spell Reactor・RE into Defense Mode.

**[Spell Reactor****・****RE: LV3/1200/900] **

"I set one card and end my turn."

Andre and Breo took the next turns.

"My turn! Draw! I set one card face-down and end my turn!"

"My turn! Draw! I set one card! Turn end!"

Jean then took the baton. "My turn! Draw! I Summon Rhinotaurus in Attack Mode!" Rhinotaurus was a bulky man-rhino equipped with heavy armor and long tusk-like swords.

**[Rhinotaurus: LV4/1800/600]**

"Then I set one card, ending my turn."

"My turn! Draw!" Taro looked at his card and simply added it to his hand. "I pass this turn."

Jose looked each one of them in the eyes with an arrogant expression. "Ridiculous. You all boast, but you've accomplished nothing."

"By the looks of it, neither have you," Jean replied. "All I saw was you attacking a man who willingly gave his life to allow us to continue fighting. And we've inherited that spirit!"

"Such impudence! You're nothing but insignificant ants nipping at our ankles! You can't accomplish anything!"

"One ant by itself can't," Bomber said, "but many ants together can carry several times their own weight."

Lucciano rolled with laughter. "You really think your number means anything to us?!"

"Don't get so arrogant, humans," Placido snapped. "We've already taken down the man holding the lives of your friends. It's only a matter of time!"

Kiryu chuckled whimsically. "No, you know nothing about Yusei and his friends. They possess a strength you'll never hope to understand! They'll reach the Ark Cradle, and they'll stop it! In the meantime, we're going to give you the entertainment of your lifetime!"

Off to the side, Sieg was now completely flat against the ground. He had his face lifted up just enough to watch Team 5D's riding up the rainbow bridge. His left eye was closed and his right eye was beginning to go blank.

Bomber gasped when he saw Sieg on the verge of losing consciousness. "Hang on just a little longer, Sieg! They're almost there!"

**BREAK**

Far off in the city plaza, Carly faced in the opposite direction of those escaping around her. She had her camera pointed up toward the Ark Cradle and the Rainbow Bridge Bifrost that was wrapped around it. As she pressed the shutter, she saw Team 5D's riding up toward the middle of the bridge.

"Oh! Is that Jack and the others?!"

Down by the Daedalus Bridge, Bruno rode past the Duelists and Yliaster.

"Wasn't he one of Team 5D's friends?" Bomber asked out loud.

"What's he doing?" This was Breo asking.

Bruno's eyes glowed a neo green as his entire body underwent a transformation.

"Yusei... I'm on my way right now."

Bruno's body was wrapped in a blue-colored Riding Suit, and his D-Wheel became longer and more futuristic in appearance. A helmet formed over his head, which concealed his eyes with an orange visor. His voice became deeper and his appearance more intimidating. He had transformed into the being known only as Dark Glass by his peers.

"What the hell happened?" Kiryu's jaw dropped as he watched the transformation take place. His Duelist allies had a similar reaction.

Dark Glass rode up the Rainbow Bridge Bifrost faster than their eyes could track.

Jose chuckled lightly as he watched Dark Glass.

"What's so funny?" Andre asked dryly.

"The final piece of the plan has just arrived."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jean eyed him suspiciously.

"Do not bother to ponder the meaning behind my statement. None of you will be alive for much longer anyway."

Rua worked up the courage to open his eyes as Team 5D's continued their climb. As they approached the side of the Ark Cradle, Rua noticed the upside-down buildings sticking out of its bottom.

"_These ruins are the future Satellite," _Rua thought to himself uncomfortably.

Yusei, in the lead, turned his head to face his friends. "Everyone, just a little further!" Yusei caught something in the corner of his eye, and he identified Dark Glass quickly catching up down below.

"He's...!"

In Old Momentum, Dragan winced as the front engine of his D-Wheel exploded in his face.

"The Vahallander...!"

Brave clenched his fists as sweat poured down his face. "Shit…! Sieg's been taken down! And I don't got much left myself…"

Harald's D-Wheel violently exploded as well, slashing his right eye and shattering the glass of his visor. Blood trickled down his cheek.

"That's as far as we go. The rest is up to you, Team 5D's!"

Old Momentum's energy consumed the three men, and the room fell into an eerie silence.

Outside, the Three Lords of Aesir grunted and groaned as they attempted to keep their grasp on Bifrost. As the light from Old Momentum collided with their bodies, they began to fade away, eventually shattering into digital dust.

Sieg saw the events unfold as he finally fell unconscious. "Shit…" His hand fell limp onto the pavement, his Duel Disk sliding off his hand.

Kiryu looked over and saw Sieg unconscious on the ground. "Sieg! What the hell happened?!" Kiryu turned toward Old Momentum and saw the Lords of Aesir were no longer present.

"Did something happen to Team Ragnarok?! What's going to happen to Yusei and his friends?!"

Bomber's face tensed as he looked over to the Ark Cradle. "Hurry up, Team 5D's! You don't have much time left!"

**BREAK**

Yusei gasped when he saw the Three Lords of Aesir disappear. "Team Ragnarok!"

Yusei looked below and saw the Rainbow Bridge Bifrost was beginning to lose its solid form.

"The Bifrost is disappearing...!"

Looking concerned, Yusei backed up his D-Wheel, moving past Jack, Crow, and Rua. The two called over to him in confusion as they saw their friend heading back. As they reached the edge of the Ark Cradle, they parked their D-Wheels and quickly spun around to assess the situation.

"What happened?!" Jack cried in a panicked voice.

Crow looked over to see the Bifrost fading away in midair. "The path's disappearing!"

Aki's D-Wheel was falling behind the others considerably. Yusei, Crow, and Jack recently got their engines upgraded before the W.R.G.P., but Aki was not so fortunate.

"She won't catch up at that speed!" Jack yelled between clenched teeth.

"Oh no! Aki's D-Wheel has the least horsepower!"

Fresh tears appeared in Rua's eyes as he watched the scene unfold in horror. "Ruka!"

Yusei pulled up beside Aki's D-Wheel, where Ruka clenched onto Aki, looking intense and scared.

"Are you alright, Aki?!"

Aki looked toward him with fearful eyes. "Yusei! I can't go any faster than this!"

Yusei turned toward Ruka, who was cringing behind Aki. "Ruka, jump over to me!"

Ruka's eyes widened at the thought. She looked toward Yusei, obviously not wanting to.

"My D-Wheel's more powerful!" Yusei quickly explained. He then turned back to Aki. "If you reduce your weight, you'll be able to go faster!"

"But at this speed...?!" Aki's voice was frantic.

Ruka couldn't help but gasp at the thought.

Yusei narrowed his eyes. "You have to do it! I can't save you if you don't!"

Ruka stared at him for a moment before shuddering and turning away. She closed her eyes and tightened up. After a moment, however, she regained her composure.

"I'll do it, Aki-_san_!"

The frightened girl placed both of her hands on Aki's back, pulling herself up on her seat. Yusei inched his D-Wheel closer to Aki's. He opened the door on his and leaned forward, extending his arm toward the girl. Ruka began to hesitate as she looked at Yusei with frightened eyes.

"Ruka!" Rua called out to his sister from the Ark Cradle.

"Hurry!" Yusei yelled, his eyes pleading and sincere.

Ruka's eyes met Yusei's and she felt a comforting sensation wash over her. She readied her body and nodded to her older friend. "Here I come!"

Ruka used every ounce of strength she could muster to jump from Aki's D-Wheel. Though it was only a few inches, it felt like an eternity to Ruka as her feet dangled over the unstable Bifrost. Yusei leaned forward and caught Ruka's light body, pulling her toward his chest. He wrapped his arms around the girl and closed the door on his D-Wheel.

Aki held her breath until she realized Ruka was safe. She sighed heavily, smiling. "Ruka!"

Just as Aki felt relieved, she heard the sound of another D-Wheel engine behind her. She spun around and saw Dark Glass driving straight for her. She yelped and closed her eyes shut. When she opened them again, Dark Glass was no longer in back of her. He was, in fact, now driving in front of Yusei. Yusei, Ruka, and Aki shared a collective gasp as the mysterious man now took the lead. He was surrounded by a windy vortex that blew past the other D-Wheelers in back of him.

Dark Glass turned back to face Yusei. "Yusei! It's a slipstream! Follow behind me!"

Yusei nodded to the stranger. "Okay! Aki, stay right behind us!"

Aki nodded to Yusei, who used the flow of Dark Glass' slipstream to increase his speed.

"Right!"

Using the slipstream, Yusei managed to bring himself and Ruka onto the Ark Cradle's edge safely. Dark Glass already arrived seconds before him. Though Aki had a close call, as the Rainbow Bridge Bifrost vanished from underneath her in the last second, she managed to land safely.

Far down below, Kiryu wiped the sweat off his forehead as he breathed a sigh of relief.

"That was close. I'm glad they made it…"

"Now we can focus on taking care of our mission," Bomber said.

The remaining Duelists all nodded to one another before staring down their opponents.

"So they got away in the end, huh?" Placido sounded nonchalant, no longer seeming to care.

"This is embrassing…" Lucciano, on the other hand, seemed to care quite a bit. He slapped his hand against his forehead in shame.

"It doesn't matter," Jose said in a gruff voice. "Though we failed to keep them from boarding the Ark Cradle, we managed to stall them long enough. All the necessary preparations should be complete by now."

"Enough chitchat, bastards!" Kiryu cut in. "It's time to make you satisfy us!"

**BREAK**

Team 5D's all faced one another on the Ark Cradle, looking pleased by their reunion.

Rua and Ruka ran toward one another and embraced each other tightly.

"Rua!"

"Ruka! Thank God!"

"I'm sorry I made you worry!"

Yusei worriedly turned toward Aki. "Aki! You okay?!"

Aki smiled brightly. "Yeah."

Yusei breathed a sigh of relief before turning and smiling at Dark Glass. "Thank you for that."

Jack, however, did not have friendly words for the mysterious man. "Just who the hell are you?!"

Dark Glass eyed Jack cautiously through his dark visors. "I have lost crucial memories. I have come here to find those answers."

"We don't have time for this!" Crow interrupted Jack. "It's all good as long as you're not an enemy!"

Yusei took the lead of the group once again. "Let's go, everyone! We're aiming for the heart of the Ark Cradle! Z-one should be there!"

Yusei's friends all nodded to one another, and Dark Glass mimicked their action. With that, they all fell silent and began their descent into the unknown depths of the Ark Cradle. Ruka once again joined Aki on her D-Wheel.

After about ten minutes of driving, the group came across a series of pathways that all overlapped with one another in a circular pattern. Toward the center of the structure was a mechanical device that glowed in the colors of Momentum energy. Each of the pathways was lit with the same energy.

Jack eyed the scenery curiously. "That's the heart?"

Yusei was lost in his own thoughts as he stared into the scenery. "The heart of the Ark Cradle... It's a mass of Momentum energy?"

"Looks that way," Crow said. "So, what do we do now?"

**BREAK**

Z-one watched the group intensely on his screen. As Sherry walked into the room, she noticed there was blood on the floor beneath Z-one's mechanical body. She did not say anything, though she did find herself wondering what the cause of that blood was.

"So you have come, Yusei, Team 5D's," Z-one said in a half-whisper. "It seems Jose and the others weren't able to stop them from getting here."

Z-one suddenly began to cough deeply, startling Sherry. She did not show concern, nor did she feel any for him, but his sudden condition struck her as out of place. At the very least, it left her bewildered.

Z-one's face and attitude began to change right before Sherry's eyes. He narrowed his visible eye menacingly. "It seems that I am left with no other choice."

Though Sherry kept it to herself, she noticed the air surrounding Z-one suddenly felt heavier and was filled with killing intent.

"Then, let us invite them…to my citadel, the Ark Cradle."

Dark Glass felt the floor beneath his feet give way. He jerked his head down and his eyes widened when he saw the floor was suddenly nowhere to be found. "What?!"

Dark Glass and Team 5D's scream as they plummet into a pit of darkness, deep through the structure of the Ark Cradle. As they fell, the lighter Rua and Ruka lost their grip on Crow and Aki. They were sent spiraling into the air.

Yusei noticed a set of paths down in the center of the dark room below them. Thinking fast, he flicked a switch on his D-Wheel, which turned his front headlights on. Using the light as a guide, he alerted them all of the location of the paths below. Yusei shifted his weight and skidded to a halt on the first path. Jack and Dark Glass managed to position themselves safely on the second path, while Crow and Aki barely made it onto the third.

"Is everyone all right?!" Yusei called out into the darkness. He heard Rua and Ruka screaming above his head suddenly. Looking up, he realized they were in danger and acted immediately. He jumped forward and caught Rua by the waist. He was not able to grab Ruka and he gasped when he came to that realization. Rua leaned forward and caught his sister's arms, groaning as he tried to support her weight.

"Don't let go of her!" Yusei managed between grunts as he managed to hold onto Rua and Ruka at the same time.

"Yusei!" Crow called out, sounding concerned.

"Guys!" Aki sounded even more frantic.

Yusei mustered all of his strength and pulled the twins up to safety, falling down in the process. Yusei smiled at them between pants as he saw they were safe.

"Looks like they're all okay," Dark Glass said.

Jack, however, sounded less optimistic. "But now..."

Once everyone started to notice their surroundings, they realized they were separated amongst three groups on separate platforms.

"It's impossible for us all to go together as a group!"

Crow growled and punched his own hand in frustration. "I can't believe this...! What should we do now?!"

Dark Glass looked at Jack and motioned for him to move toward him. "Come look at this."

Jack watched as Dark Glass rendered a scan of the Ark Cradle on his screen. He then uploaded the data to the other D-Wheels present.

"That's..." Yusei's voice trailed off as Dark Glass began to speak to them through their D-Wheels' communication system.

"_I scanned the interior of the Ark Cradle. Each of the three passages before us now are surrounded by a support gear. Each of which is connected to three Planetary Gears. If we don't stop those Planetary Gears first, we can't change the movement of the support gear powered by Momentum at the central heart into a positive rotation."_

As he spoke, he displayed various diagrams and graphs on their screens.

"_Yusei, we're short on time. If we don't hurry, Neo Domino City will be crushed by the Ark Cradle!"_

Yusei nodded and turned to look at his friends around him.

"Listen up, everyone! From here on out, we'll split into three groups and stop the gears from moving."

Ruka and Rua gasped when they heard that. The others watched him in silence, all seeming to understand what he was about to say.

"I believe in all of you! That you'll be able to stop the support gears and meet up with me!"

Jack nodded in reply and started up his engine.

The twins looked up at the others, appearing to be uncomfortable with the situation. Jack appeared on Yusei's D-Wheel and he addressed the two.

"_Didn't you hear what Yusei just said? We have a mission to carry out. We must save Neo Domino City from the brink of death and destruction!"_

After a moment's hesitation, the kids nodded to Jack, to each other, and then to Yusei. Yusei returned their nod with approval.

"Let's go!"

"Yup!"

"Us too!"

Rua and Ruka removed their D-Boards from their backpacks and attached the objects to their feet. D-Boards were similar to skateboards, and were designed to allow children the ability to Riding Duel. Rua's was blue in color while Ruka's was pink. The twins also placed on helmets, elbow pads, and knee pads.

"Yusei!"

Yusei and the twins turned back when they heard Crow call over.

"I understand. But you better watch yourself! You better not die!"

Yusei did not know what to say to that, so he just returned Crow's gaze.

"We'll be waiting for you at the support gear," Aki added.

Aki and Crow rode off on their D-Wheels toward their destination. Jack and Dark Glass followed suit, heading down their own path.

"I'm counting on you, guys!"

With that, Rua and Ruka grabbed onto each side of Yusei's D-Wheel. Once they were in place, the three drove into the dark tunnel in front of them.

Z-one watched the three groups split apart on his screen in the all-white room. He turned toward Sherry, acknowledging her presence in the room.

"It is just as you said it would be. He did come here after all."

Sherry stepped forward and looked right into Z-one's exposed eye. "I will stop them without fail. The future you are expecting will move as planned."

"…"

"In exchange, keep your promise."

"Yes. That goes without saying."

Without saying another word, Sherry exited the room.

**BREAK**

Aki and Crow were the first to arrive at their destination. It was an open room with nothing but Momentum light and various machines. The two stopped their D-Wheels and observed their surroundings.

"So this is the Planetary Gear, huh?" Crow eyed the large pillar at the front of the room. It glowed with Momentum energy and made a whirring noise.

"Looks that way," Aki said.

The sound of echoing footsteps suddenly filled the room. Aki and Crow looked in the direction of the footsteps, and saw Sherry walk out from behind the planetary gear. She wore the dark expression of a murderer.

"Sorry to inform you, but you two won't be going any further than this."

"Sherry!" Crow did not look happy to see the woman.

"Why are you here?" Though Aki looked serious, there was a hint of sadness in her eyes.

"I have taken Z-one's side," Sherry replied. "I will guard the Ark Cradle and stop you from reaching your destination." Sherry raised her left arm, which had a Duel Disk attached to it.

Aki shook her head in protest. "You can't...! Haven't you always been fixated on getting revenge for your parents against Yliaster?"

"That's right!" Crow added. "You really think your parents will be happy if you do something like this?!"

Sherry narrowed her eyes and replied in a malevolent tone. "That has nothing to do with either of you."

Crow answered her by tossing a card at her, which she caught in her hand. She looked at it and shot Crow a displeased glare.

"Why... do you have this?!"

"Mizoguchi asked me to give it to you. That's a memento of your old man, isn't it?!"

Sherry paused for a moment before replying. "It is. Everything began with this card. My happy life was suddenly broken on that day."

Sherry had images of the day her mother and father were murdered. She was only a young girl, and she recalled standing at their corpses in the center of her mansion.

"Since that day, I bet my very life in order to find a way to avenge my parents. But now that I know the circumstances behind my parents' deaths, this world can vanish into thin air for all I care. What awaits someone like me, who's lived her entire life for revenge?"

Sherry's voice began to sound like she was on the verge of tears, but she swallowed it and closed her eyes.

Aki said nothing, but she appeared as though she felt bad for Sherry.

Crow had a similar expression. "Sherry..."

Then Sherry's expression changed, as a forced smile came to her face. "But I have seen God. After losing everything, Z-one has given me the hope to live."

"The hope to live?" Aki appeared bewildered. "Sherry, what exactly did Z-one tell you?"

"It's a simple matter," Sherry said as she placed her hand on her chest. "We made a deal. If I help Z-one, he will grant me a wish in return."

Crow looked surprised. "What? He can grant any wish?"

"Beats me." Sherry shrugged and sounded sarcastic." I wonder about that myself."

Aki became serious and she stared right into the woman's eyes. "Listen to me, Sherry! While we're wasting time here, the Ark Cradle is falling! In order to grant a wish for yourself, you're willing to put so many lives in danger?!"

Sherry returned the glare. "Say what you like, but my thoughts will not change. I no longer need this card." Sherry lifted her arm to toss the card back, but stopped when Crow stopped her.

"That's really important to you, isn't it?! It was meant for you to hold!"

Sherry couldn't hold back her smirk. "Are you sure you should give your enemy an opportunity to kill you like this? You should understand how much strength this card holds. That power could very well lead to your defeat."

"I don't care. I promised Mizoguchi!"

"I see." Sherry said nothing more. She shuffled the card into her deck using her Duel Disk's automatic shuffler. Once she was set, she took a step back. The ground beneath her lit up with an intense flash of white light. The light extended over to where Crow and Aki were standing.

"My Life has been directly connected to the Planetary Gear's special device. Unless you defeat me, you won't be able to stop the Planetary Gear!"

Aki looked pained by her words. "Sherry...!"

Crow hesitated momentarily before working up the nerve to continue. "We've got no choice...!"

The three took their positions and drew their starting hands.

"Duel!"

Z-one quietly watched the Duel unfold on his monitor. He watched Sherry intently on the screen with concerned eyes.

"Sherry, I pray that you do not have to use that card…"

oOo

**The battle for humanity begins! What tricks does Sherry have up her sleeve?**

**To be continued in Chapter 3: "The Soul Binding Gate" **

**Cards Used (In Order of Appearance)**

**Wise Core**

**DARK**

**Level 1**

**Machine/Effect**

**0/0**

**When this card is destroyed by a card effect and sent to the Graveyard, destroy all monsters you control. Then, Special Summon 1 "Mechlord Emperor Wisel", "Wisel Top", "Wisel Attack", "Wisel Guard", and "Wisel Carrier" from your hand, Deck, or Graveyard.**

**Reload**

**Quick-Play Spell **

**Add all the cards in your hand to your Deck and shuffle it. Then draw the same number of cards that you added to your Deck.**

**Sky Core**

**WIND**

**Level 1**

**Machine/Effect**

**0/0**

**When this card is destroyed by a card effect and sent to the Graveyard, destroy all monsters you control. Then, Special Summon 1 "Mechlord Emperor Skiel ∞", "Skiel Top", "Skiel Attack", "Skiel Guard", and "Skiel Carrier" from your hand, Deck, or Graveyard.**

**Grand Core**

**EARTH**

**Level 1**

**Machine/Effect**

**0/0**

**When this card is destroyed by a card effect and sent to the Graveyard, destroy all monsters you control. Then, Special Summon 1 "Mechlord Emperor Grannel", "Grannel Top", "Grannel Attack", "Grannel Guard", and "Grannel Carrier" from your hand, Deck, or Graveyard.**

**Acid Rain**

**Spell Card**

**Destroy all face-up Machine-Type monsters on the field.**

**Mechlord Emperor Wisel (OCG: Meklord Emperor Wisel)**

**DARK**

**Level 1**

**Machine/Effect**

**2500/2500**

**Other monsters you control cannot attack. Once per turn, you can select and equip 1 face-up Synchro Monster your opponent controls to this card. This card gains ATK equal to the combined ATK of all Synchro Monsters equipped to it and all other face-up "Wisel", "Skiel", and "Grannel" monsters you control. When this card is destroyed, destroy all monsters you control.**

**Wisel Top**

**DARK**

**Level 1**

**Machine/Effect**

**500/0**

**If you do not control a face-up "Mechlord Emperor" monster, destroy this card.**

**Wisel Attack**

**DARK**

**Level 1**

**Machine/Effect**

**1200/0**

**If you do not control a face-up "Mechlord Emperor" monster, destroy this card.**

**Wisel Guard**

**DARK**

**Level 1**

**0/1200**

**If you do not control a face-up "Mechlord Emperor" monster, destroy this card. When another monster you control is selected as an attack target, you can switch the target to this card instead.**

**Wisel Guard **

**DARK**

**Level 1**

**800/600**

**Destroy this card if you do not control a "Mechlord Emperor" monster. This card cannot be destroyed by your opponent's card effects.**

**Mechlord Emperor Skiel ∞ (OCG: Meklord Emperor Skiel)**

**WIND**

**Level 1**

**Machine/Effect**

**2200/2200**

**Other monsters you control cannot attack. Once per turn, you can equip 1 face-up Synchro Monster your opponent controls to this card. This card gains ATK equal to the combined ATK of all Synchro Monsters equipped to it and all other face-up "Wisel","Skiel", and "Grannel" monsters you control. When this card is destroyed, destroy all monsters you control.**

**Skiel Top**

**WIND**

**Level 1**

**Machine/Effect**

**600/0**

**If you do not control a face-up "Mechlord Emperor" monster, destroy this card.**

**Skiel Attack**

**WIND**

**Level 1**

**Machine/Effect**

**1000/0**

**If you do not control a face-up "Mechlord Emperor" monster, destroy this card.**

**Skiel Guard**

**WIND**

**Level 1**

**Machine/Effect**

**200/300**

**If you do not control a face-up "Mechlord Emperor" monster, destroy this card. Once per turn, when a monster you control is selected as an attack target, you can negate the attack.**

**Skiel Carrier**

**WIND**

**Level 1**

**Machine/Effect**

**400/0**

**If you do not control a face-up "Mechlord Emperor" monster, destroy this card.**

**Mechlord Emperor Grannel (OCG: Meklord Emperor Granel)**

**EARTH**

**Level 1**

**Machine/Effect**

**0/0**

**Other monsters you control cannot attack, except for Synchro Monsters equipped to this card. This card's original ATK and DEF are equal to your Life Points. This card gains ATK equal to the combined ATK of all Synchro Monsters equipped to this card. When this card is destroyed, destroy all monsters you control.**

**Grannel Top **

**EARTH**

**Level 1**

**Machine/Effect**

**500/0**

**If you do not control a face-up "Mechlord Emperor" monster, destroy this card. When a "Mechlord Emperor" monster you control declares an attack, you can negate the effects of 1 face-up Synchro Monster your opponent controls, until the End Phase.**

**Grannel Attack**

**EARTH**

**Level 1**

**Machine/Effect**

**1300/0**

**If you do not control a face-up "Mechlord Emperor" monster, destroy this card. Once per turn, if a "Mechlord Emperor" monster you control destroys an opponent's Synchro Monster by battle: You can equip that monster to a face-up "Mechlord Emperor" monster you control. At the start of each of your Battle Phases, if you control a face-up "Mechlord Emperor" monster equipped with a Synchro Monster(s): Treat those equipped Synchro Monsters as monsters you control in the Spell & Trap Card Zone, until the end of the Battle Phase. They cannot attack your opponent directly, and if they attack a Defense Position monster, inflict piercing Battle Damage to your opponent. If a "Mechlord Emperor" monster you control attacks an opponent's Defense Position Synchro Monster, inflict piercing Battle Damage to your opponent.**

**Grannel Guard **

**EARTH**

**Level 1**

**Machine/Effect**

**500/1000**

**If you do not control a face-up "Mechlord Emperor" monster, destroy this card. When a monster you control is attacked, you can select a Synchro Monster equipped to a "Mechlord Emperor" you control: Treat it as a face-up Attack Position monster you control in the Spell & Trap Card Zone, until the end of the Damage Step, and change the attack target to it.**

**Grannel Carrier**

**EARTH**

**Level 1**

**Machine/Effect**

**700/700**

**If you do not control a face-up "Mechlord Emperor" monster, destroy this card. Once per turn, if a monster you control would be destroyed by battle, it is not destroyed.**

**Infernity Beast**

**DARK**

**Level 3**

**Beast/Effect**

**1600/1200**

**If this card attacks while you have no cards in your hand, your opponent cannot activate Spell or Trap Cards until after the Damage Step.**

**Spell Reactor****・****RE**

**DARK**

**Level 3**

**Machine/Effect**

**1200/900**

**Once per turn, when your opponent activates a Spell Card, you can destroy the Spell Card and inflict 800 damage to your opponent.**

**Nimble Momonga**

**EARTH**

**Level 2**

**Beast/Effect**

**When this card is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard, gain 1000 Life Points. You can also Special Summon any number of "Nimble Momongas" from your Deck in face-down Defense Position.**

**Egotistical Ape**

**EARTH**

**Level 5**

**Beast/Tuner/Effect**

**1200/1200**

**This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card can only be Special Summoned by sending 1 Beast-Type monster from your hand to the Graveyard. When this card is Special Summoned this way, you can activate 1 of these effects: ● Increase the Level of this card by the Level of the Beast-Type monster. ● Decrease the Level of this card by the Level of the Beast-Type monster.**

**Playful Possum**

**EARTH**

**Level 2**

**Beast/Effect**

**800/600**

**During your Main Phase, if your opponent controls a face-up monster with a higher ATK than the ATK of this card, you can destroy this card on the field. During your Standby Phase, if this card was destroyed by this effect, you can Special Summon this card from the Graveyard.**

**Thunder Unicorn**

**LIGHT**

**Level 5**

**Beast/Synchro/Effect**

**2200/1800**

**1 Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner monsters**

**Once per turn, during your Main Phase, you can select 1 face-up monster your opponent controls. It loses 500 ATK for each monster you control, except for "Thunder Unicorn", until the End Phase. During the turn this effect is activated, no other monsters can attack. When this card is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard, you can Special Summon it during that turn's Battle Phase in face-up Attack Position. If this card is Special Summoned this way, remove it from play at the end of the Battle Phase.**

**Purgatory of Nothingness (OCG: Into the Void)**

**Spell Card**

**Activate only if you have 3 or more cards in your hand. Draw 1 card. During the End Phase of this turn, discard all the cards in your hand.**

**Chosen One**

**Spell Card**

**Select 1 Monster Card and 2 non-Monster Cards from your hand. Your opponent randomly selects 1 card among them. If it is a Monster Card, it is Special Summoned and you send the remaining 2 cards to the Graveyard. If not, send all the cards to the Graveyard.**

**Mine Mole**

**EARTH**

**Level 3**

**Beast/Effect**

**Once per turn, this card cannot be destroyed by battle. If this card is sent to the Graveyard as a Synchro Material Monster of a Beast-Type monster, draw 1 card. If this card is removed from the field by your opponent's card effect, remove this card from play.**

**Bicorn Re'em**

**DARK**

**Level 4**

**Beast/Tuner/Effect**

**This card cannot be used as a Synchro Material Monster, except for the Synchro Summon of a Beast-Type Synchro Monster. If this card is sent to the Graveyard for a Synchro Summon, send the top 2 cards of your opponent's Deck to the Graveyard.**

**Voltic Bicorn**

**LIGHT**

**Level 7**

**Beast/Synchro/Effect**

**1 Beast-Type Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner monsters**

**If this card is destroyed by your opponent's card (either by battle or by card effect), both players send the top 7 cards of their Deck to the Graveyard.**

**Trident Warrior**

**LIGHT**

**Level 4**

**Warrior/Effect**

**1800/1200**

**When this card is Normal Summoned: You can Special Summon 1 Level 3 monster from your hand.**

**Delta Fly (OCG: Delta Flyer)**

**WIND**

**Level 3**

**Dragon/Tuner/Effect**

**1500/900**

**Once per turn, you can select 1 face-up monster and increase or decrease its Level by 1.**

**Lightning Tricorn**

**LIGHT**

**Level 8**

**Beast/Synchro/Effect**

**2800/2000**

**1 Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner monsters**

**1 Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner Beast-Type monsters**

**If this card is destroyed by your opponent's card (either by battle or by card effect), you can select 1 "Thunder Unicorn" or "Voltic Bicorn" in your Graveyard or Extra Deck and Special Summon it.**

**Holding-Hands Majin**

**DARK**

**Level 4**

**Fiend/Effect**

**You can only control 1 "Holding-Hands Majin". Your opponent cannot target other face-up monsters you control for an attack. While this card is in face-up Defense Position, it gains DEF equal to the total DEF of every other face-up monster you control.**

**One for One**

**Spell Card**

**Send 1 Monster Card from your hand to the Graveyard. Special Summon 1 Level 1 monster from your hand or Deck.**

**Bat**

**WIND**

**Level 1**

**Machine**

**300/350**

**Key Mace**

**LIGHT**

**Level 1**

**400/300**

**Enchanting Fitting Room**

**Spell Card**

**Pay 800 Life Points. Pick up 4 cards from the top of your Deck and Special Summon to your side of the field all Level 3 or lower Normal Monsters among the picked-up cards. Return all the other picked-up cards to your Deck and the Deck is then shuffled.**

**Kageningen ("Shadow Fighter")**

**DARK**

**Level 2**

**Warrior**

**Different Dimension Trainer (OCG: D.D. Trainer)**

**DARK**

**Level 1**

**Fiend**

**100/2000**

**Plant of the Demon World (OCG: Fungi of the Musk)**

**DARK**

**Level 1**

**Fiend**

**400/300**

**Angel's Charity (OCG: Graceful Charity)**

**Spell Card**

**Draw 3 cards, then discard 2 cards.**

**Pot of Greed**

**Spell Card**

**Draw 2 cards.**

**Walkuren Ritt ("Ride of the Valkyries")**

**Spell Card**

**Special Summon as many "Valkyrie" monsters from your hand as possible. During the End Phase, return all monsters Special Summoned this way to your Deck.**

**Valkyrie Dritte**

**LIGHT**

**Level 4**

**Fairy/Effect**

**1000/1600**

**This card gains 100 ATK for each banish monster.**

**Valkyrie Erste**

**LIGHT**

**Level 6**

**Fairy/Effect**

**1600/1800**

**Once per turn: banish 1 monster from your opponent's Graveyard. This card's original ATK becomes equal to the banished monster's original ATK, until the End Phase.**

**Valkyrie Zwei**

**LIGHT**

**Level 5**

**Fairy/Effect**

**1600/1600**

**When this card is Summoned, target 1 monster your opponent controls, and destroy it.**

**Final Light**

**Spell Card**

**Pay 1000 Life Points and select 1 LIGHT monster in your Graveyard. Special Summon it. Then, your opponent can Special Summon 1 monster with 2000 or less ATK from their Graveyard in face-up Attack Position.**

**Valkyrie Brunnhilde**

**LIGHT**

**Level 7**

**Fairy/Effect**

**1800/2000**

**While this card is in face-up Attack Position, it gains 300 ATK for each Dragon-Type and Warrior-Type monster on the field. When this card would be destroyed by battle, you can have it lose 1000 DEF instead.**

**Convert Ghost**

**Trap Card**

**If you control a face-up "Mechlord Emperor" monster when your opponent activates a Spell/Trap Card or Effect Monster's effect: Banish 1 Machine-Type monster in your Graveyard; negate the activation and destroy that card. Set this card face-down again instead of sending it to the Graveyard.**

**Thor, Lord of the Aesir**

**EARTH**

**Level 10**

**Divine-Beast/Synchro/Effect**

**3500/2800**

**1 Tuner + 2 or more non-Tuner monsters**

**Once per turn, you can select 1 monster your opponent controls. Negate the effects of the monster and this card gains the negated effect(s) until the End Phase. If this face-up card is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, you can Special Summon it from the Graveyard during the End Phase. If this card is Special Summoned from your Graveyard, you can inflict 800 damage to your opponent.**

**Loki, Lord of the Aesir**

**DARK**

**Level 10**

**Divine-Beast/Synchro/Effect**

**3300/3000**

**1 Tuner + 2 or more non-Tuner monsters**

**Once per turn, when this card attacks and your opponent activates a Spell/Trap Card during your Battle Phase, you can negate its activation and destroy it. If this face-up card on the field is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, you can Special Summon it during the End Phase. If this card is Special Summoned from the Graveyard, you can select 1 Trap Card in the Graveyard and add it to your hand.**

**Odin, Father of the Aesir**

**LIGHT**

**Level 10**

**Divine-Beast/Synchro/Effect**

**4000/3500**

**1 Tuner + 2 or more non-Tuner monsters**

**Once per turn, you can activate this card's effect. If you do, all face-up Divine-Beast-Type monster(s) you control become unaffected by the effects of Spell/Trap Cards until the End Phase. If this face-up card on the field is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, you can Special Summon it during the End Phase. If this card is Special Summoned from your Graveyard, you can draw 1 card.**

**The Rainbow Bridge Bifrost**

**Continuous Spell Card**

**All face-up "Valkyrie", "Nordic", and "Aesir" Monsters gain 500 ATK. Increase their ATK by an additional 500 points for each Banished Monster on both fields.**

**Prose Edda**

**Spell Card**

**Pay half your Life Points and Special Summon as many "Goddess" Synchro Monsters from your Extra Deck as possible, ignoring Summoning Conditions.**

**Skuld, Goddess of Aesir**

**LIGHT**

**Spellcaster/Synchro/Effect**

**Level 9**

**2800/3400**

**1 Nordic Beast Tuner + 1 "Valkyrie" Monster**

**Once per turn, you can look at the top 3 cards of your opponent's Deck and rearrange them.**

**Urd, Goddess of Aesir**

**LIGHT**

**Spellcaster/Synchro/Effect**

**Level 9**

**2800/3400**

**1 Nordic Beast Tuner + 1 "Valkyrie" Monster**

**Once per turn, you can select 1 face-down card your opponent controls and guess its card name. If you guess correctly, remove from play that card.**

**Verdandi, Goddess of Aesir**

**LIGHT**

**Spellcaster/Synchro/Effect**

**Level 9**

**2800/3400**

**1 Nordic Beast Tuner + 1 Valkyrie Monster**

**Once per turn, you can guess the card type of the top card of your opponent's Deck (Monster, Spell or Trap). If you guess correctly, apply an appropriate effect: ● Monster Card: Your opponent Special Summons it in face-down Defense Position. ● Spell or Trap Card: Your opponent Sets it.**

**Wise A3**

**Trap Card**

**Send 1 face-up "Wisel Attack" you control to the Graveyard. Special Summon 1 "Wisel Attack 3" from your hand.**

**Wisel Attack 3**

**DARK**

**Level 3**

**Machine/Effect**

**1600/0**

**You can Tribute 1 "Wisel Attack" to Special Summon this card from your hand. If you do not control a face-up "Mechlord Emperor" monster, destroy this card. During battle between an attacking "Mechlord Emperor" monster you control and a Defense Position monster whose DEF is lower than the ATK of the attacking monster, inflict piercing damage to your opponent.**

**Dimension Trap**

**Trap Card**

**Remove from play 1 monster you control and select 1 Trap Card in your Graveyard. The effect of this card will be the same as the selected Trap Card.**

**Threatening Roar**

**Trap Card**

**Your opponent cannot declare an attack this turn.**

**Trap Stun**

**Trap Card**

**Negate the effects of all other Trap Cards on the field during this turn.**

**Double Cyclone**

**Quick-Play Spell**

**Select 1 Spell/Trap Card you control and 1 Spell/Trap Card your opponent controls. Destroy the selected card(s).**

**Chain Whirlwind**

**Trap Card**

**Activate only when a card on the field is destroyed by a card effect. Select 2 Spell/Trap Cards on the field and destroy them.**

**Infinity Wall**

**Trap Card**

**Activate only if you control a face-up "Mechlord Emperor" monster. Negate card effects that would destroy cards you control during this turn.**

**Dodge Roll**

**Trap Card**

**Activate only when you would take effect damage or Battle Damage. You take no damage from that attack or card effect.**

**Limit Impulse**

**Trap Card **

**Send 2 cards from your hand to the Graveyard. Special Summon 2 "Soul Tokens" (Fiend-Type/DARK/Level 1/ATK 0/DEF 0). These Tokens cannot be Tributed except for a Tribute Summon.**

**ZERO-MAX**

**Spell Card**

**Activate only if you have no cards in your hand. Select 1 "Infernity" monster in your Graveyard. Special Summon it, and destroy all face-up monsters on the field with ATK lower than the Special Summoned monster's ATK. You cannot conduct your Battle Phase the same turn you activate this card.**

**Infernity Avenger**

**DARK**

**Level 1**

**Fiend/Tuner**

**0/0**

**When a monster you control, except "Infernity Avenger", is destroyed by battle with an opponent's monster and sent to the Graveyard, while you have no cards in your hand, you can Special Summon this card from your Graveyard. In that case, the Level of this card is equal to the Level of your destroyed monster.**

**Infernity Burst**

**Spell Card**

**Inflict 800 damage to your opponent's for each "Infernity" monster you control.**

**Infinity Force**

**Trap Card**

**Activate only if you control a face-up "Mechlord Emperor" monster when your opponent activates a card effect that would inflict effect damage to you. Reduce that damage to 0, and destroy all monsters your opponent controls.**

**Trap Reactor****・****Y FI**

**DARK**

**Level Four **

**Machine/Effect**

**800/1800**

**Once per turn, when your opponent activates a Trap Card, you can destroy the Trap Card and inflict 800 damage to your opponent.**

**Rhinotaurus**

**FIRE**

**Level 4**

**Beast-Warrior/Effect**

**1800/600**

**If 2 or more of your opponent's monsters are destroyed by battle with your monsters during the same Battle Phase, this card can attack twice during that Battle Phase.**


	3. The SoulBinding Gate

**Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's: The Ark Cradle Arc Rewrite**

**Chapter 3: "The Soul-Binding Gate"**

An eerie wind blew over the Duelists underneath the Daedalus Bridge. It was a wind of uncertainty that seemed to carry with it the various emotions of those fighting for Z-one and those fighting for Team 5D's. The monstrous citadel known as the Ark Cradle hovered high above their heads, slowly inching its way down to their eventual deaths. Despite this, the remaining members of the opposing side remained confident. Even with Siegfried's motionless body not far from where they stood, their expressions did not waver.

Placido gazed up at the Ark Cradle once more before casting his eyes on his opponents. He forced a smirk and tried to maintain his cool. "With Yusei and his friends out of our reach, I'll just have to settle with killing you scum instead."

Andre scoffed at his comment, tilting his head slightly. "Pretty cocky, aren't you? It's true we'd have trouble with you one-on-one, but as a unit we have the advantage!"

"Advantage? You humans are more delusional than I thought. It doesn't matter whether you're an army of ten or a thousand! You'll have to go get yourselves Signer birthmarks before you even begin to _dream_ of defeating us!"

Breo shot back. "Big talk coming from someone who relies on a single Monster."

Placido's smile quickly fell flat. "I'll use that same Monster to cut off your heads! Then I'll hang your heads on the gate of the Arc Cradle as a sign of our absolute authority!"

Kiryu began to grin. "Heh, what a showoff."

"It's my turn! Draw!"

**[Lucciano's LP: 4000]**

**[Jose's LP: 4000]**

**[Kiryu's LP: 4000]**

**[Bomber's LP: 4000]**

**[Andre's LP: 4000]**

**[Breo's LP: 4000]**

**[Jean's LP: 4000]**

**[Taro's LP: 3200]**

**[Placido's LP: 4000]**

**[Mechlord Emperor Wisel: LV1/ 20800/2500]**

"Mechlord Emperor Wisel, attack Trident Warrior!"

**[Trident Warrior: LV4/1800/1200]**

"Trap Card, activate!" Placido and Jean jerked their heads toward the sound of Bomber's voice. "Claymore Mine! When my opponent declares an attack, this card destroys the Attack Position Monster my opponent controls with the highest Attack Power! Naturally your Wisel will be the target!"

"I almost forgot you were there, since you haven't done anything this entire Duel! But you won't make it! Trap Card, open! Infinity Guard Formation! This card negates all card effects on the field that would destroy one of my Monsters! Your Trap is now useless!"

"Damn…" Bomber lowered his head as his card turned grey, its effect unable to activate. Being a one-turn Trap, the card then shattered.

"In exchange, my Wisel loses its effects during the rest of my turn," Placido said, not looking worried by the fact.

**[Wisel's ATK: 20800 - 2500]**

"Wisel still has enough Attack to destroy your Trident Warrior!"

Jean was about to open his mouth when Breo spoke before him. "Trap Card, activate! Attack Nullification! This card doesn't target your Monsters, but simply negates your attack and ends the Battle Phase! Your Trap can't destroy it!"

Jean gave his friend an appreciative smile. "I owe you, Breo!"

Placido gave in temporarily and he averted his eyes. "Tch, persistent garbage. I set one card and end my turn."

**[Wisel's ATK: 2500 - 20800]**

Lucciano gave the older man a disgusted look as a holographic card appeared face-down on the field in front of him.

"Placido, you can't even destroy one little Monster? How pathetic!"

"Shut your mouth and make your turn!" Placido crossed his arms and looked away in annoyance.

"Fine, I will. My turn! Draw!"

**[Mechlord Emperor Skiel: LV1/20800/2200]**

"I'll finish what you started! Mechlord Emperor Skiel, attack Jean's Trident Warrior!"

The other Duelists instantly realized they had nothing left that could stop the oncoming attack. Jean closed his eyes as he awaited the impact. His Trident Warrior was shattered, but Jean hardly looked beaten. In fact, he appeared to be waiting for Lucciano to do just that.

"I activate the Trap Card, Return Damage! When I take Battle Damage, I negate that damage and inflict damage to my opponent equal to the amount I would have taken! You'll be taking those 19000 points of damage in my place!"

Lucciano's eyes widened in shock when he realized he too had nothing to stop Jean's card. The Duelists cheered as a beam of energy shot toward Lucciano's field. Their joy, however, was brought to a screeching halt by the chilling words Jose uttered from underneath his mask.

"Arrogance is a direct path to death."

"What?" Jean asked wearily.

"Trap Card, Infinity Conversion!"

The beam of energy was absorbed by the card Jose flipped up on his field. Soon after, the same energy began to enter into Grannel's metallic body.

"When my opponent activates a card effect that would inflict damage, I can negate that card and destroy it. Your Return Damage holds no meaning before me!"

Jean began to sweat as his card shattered in front of him. "Shit…"

"I can then select one Mechlord Emperor on my field and increase its Attack Power by half the amount of damage we would have taken."

"Half of 19000…?" Kiryu asked in a surprised voice.

Taro could hardly believe what he was witnessing. "No way…"

**[Grannel's ATK: 6800 - 16300]**

**[Skiel's ATK: 20800 - 21000]**

**[Wisel's ATK: 20800 - 21600]**

"With your Trap Card ineffective, you still take 19000 points of damage!"

Jean's allies watched in horror as he was blasted through the stomach by Jose's card. He cried out in agony as the pain coursed through his veins.

**[Jean's LP: 4000 - 0]**

"Jean!" Andre and Breo ran toward their fallen leader in shock.

Lucciano's cackle filled the air and sent chills down Taro's spine as he stood frozen in his tracks, unable to join his allies in helping Jean.

"We told you! You don't stand a chance against us as a team! I set one card face-down and end my turn!"

Andre bent down to help Jean to his feet, but the man pushed his hand away. Through heavy breaths, he managed to utter what he believed to be his final words. "Forget about me, everyone! Just focus on defeating them!"

Left with no other choice, the Duelists returned to their places, rattled when they heard Jean's heavy breaths suddenly go silent.

Jose chuckled, watching the Unicorn leader fall into a state of unconsciousness. "Nonsense. It's only a matter of time before the others are lying there on the ground beside you! My turn! Draw!"

**[Mechlord Emperor Grannel: LV1/16300/4000]**

"I'll start by ripping the rest of Team Unicorn to shreds! Mechlord Emperor Grannel, attack Bicorn Re'em! Grand Slaughter Cannon!"

**[Bicorn Re'em: LV4/800/1600]**

Breo realized instantly that he left the Monster on the field in Attack Mode. He originally planned to use Attack Nullification in combination with Re'em as bait, but he rushed in to help his friend at the cost of his own safety, which was now rendered useless anyway. Breo closed his eyes as the beam of light crashed down onto his field. When he finally opened his eyes, he was shocked to see the rhinoceros monster called Rhinotaurus standing in front of Bicorn Re'em. The Beast-Type had been impaled by the blast, and it was slowly disintegrating.

Breo frantically looked down at Jean, who had one eye open. He had his hand on his Duel Disk, holding one of the buttons in place.

Jose's expression changed and his eyes darted in Jean's direction. "What…? You were still conscious?!"

"I still…had…a Monster on the field." Rhinotaurus was now completely gone, Jean's final Monster now history.

"Jean…" Breo clenched his fist at his side and looked down at the ground.

"He saved us," Andre said quietly. "He's truly a great leader…" The other Duelists said nothing, but they all wore respectful expressions.

"Very well," Jose growled, sounding much deeper. "If you wish to die that much sooner, I will oblige!"

Jose mercilessly blasted Jean with Grannel, despite the fact that his Life Points were already long gone. After screaming once more, Jean again fell unconscious. This time, however, he was not going to be getting up any time soon.

Andre's hand began to shake as he balled it into a fist. "We'll avenge you, Jean. I swear it!" Feeling the same, Breo gritted his teeth fiercely.

"Don't think you're safe! Trap Card, activate! Attack Cannon! When the Attack Target my Monster attacked is still on the field at the end of the Damage Step, I can activate this card. I send my Grannel Attack to the Graveyard to destroy Bicorn Re'em!"

"What?!" Breo cried.

Bomber intercepted Jose's attempt. "I activate the Monster Effect of Trap Reactor・RR! When my opponent activates a Trap Card, I can negate and destroy the card and inflict 800 points of damage!"

Jose grunted as Bomber's machine shot his card and pierced his chest.

**[Jose's LP: 4000 - 3200]**

**[Grannel's ATK: 16300 - 15500]**

**[Wisel's ATK: 21600 - 20800]**

**[Skiel's ATK: 21000 - 20200]**

The older man, though, was not down. "Hmph. I activate the Trap Card, Infinite Spirit Machine. Every time we take damage, I place one Aura Token on this card for each interval of 100 points of damage we take."

A demonic-looking machine appeared in front of Jose. Eight tiny blue flames appeared on each of its side.

**[Infinite Spirit Machine: 8 Aura Counters]**

"I Normal Summon Grannel Attack 3 in Attack Mode. Grannel Attack 3 allows me to use Synchro Monsters equipped to my Grannel to attack!"

"What?!" Kiryu screamed.

"I use Skuld, Goddess of Aesir to attack Trap Reactor・RR!"

**[Skuld, Goddess of Aesir: LV9/2800/3400]**

**[Trap Reactor****・****RR: LV4/800/1800]**

"Trap Card, activate!" Andre's Trap Card flipped up on his field. "Collected Power! This card allows me to steal all Equipment Cards on the field and attach them to one Monster on the field!"

Bomber looked please with his ally's strategy. "Great move! The Synchro Monsters they absorb with their Mechlord Emperors are considered Equipment Cards!"

Jose simply growled at the move, unable to do anything about it.

"That means…!" Placido instantly realized what was about to happen.

Lucciano grasped his head with his hands in horror. "Shit!"

Andre wore a pleased expression as he began to explain how his card worked. "That's right! All of our Synchro Monsters will be taken away from your Mechlord Emperors and equipped to Breo's Bicorn Re'em!"

Breo grinned at his friend's tricky strategy. "But though they're treated as Equipment Cards, they're still Monster Cards! Their equipment is rendered invalid automatically with Re'em! As a result, our Synchro Monsters are destroyed and sent to our respective Graveyards!"

"Now return to your owners!" Andre called out. "Lightning Tricorn returns to Jean's Graveyard that still remains on the field!"

"Return to my Graveyard, Voltic Bicorn!" Breo shouted triumphantly.

"And Sieg's Skuld, Goddess of Aesir returns to his Graveyard," said Kiryu, "canceling out your attack!"

"Damn your shred tricks!" Jose cursed under his breath as the three Synchros were returned to the Graveyard.

**[Grannel's ATK: 16300 - 12700] **

**[Wisel's ATK: 20800 - 18000]**

**[Skiel's ATK: 20200 - 17400]**

Lucciano stomped his foot in rage. "What the hell was that, Jose?! I thought you said you had this under control!"

"Shut your mouth, you insolent child! Do you really think a trick of this level would work against me?!"

Andre lifted an eyebrow. "What's he doing now?"

"I activate a Trap Card called Infinite Mad Feast! When Synchro Monsters attached to a Mechlord Emperor during this turn were sent to the Graveyard, I can re-equip those Monsters! Now return to us, pitiful Synchro servants!"

"What?!"

The Duelists cried out in shock as Andre's clever scheme was undone in an instant. The three Synchro Monsters were returned to their respective Mechlord Emperors as if nothing happened.

**[Grannel's ATK: 12700 -16300 ] **

**[Wisel's ATK: 18000 - 20800]**

**[Skiel's ATK: 17400 - 20200]**

"Then all of you take 600 points of damage for each Monster re-equipped! Three in total equals 1800 Life Points each!"

"You can't be serious!" Kiryu raised his arm above his head to try and protect himself from the oncoming onslaught.

Energy rained down on the field and the screams of the Duelists bounced off the Daedalus Bridge. The entire team was now on their knees as the Yliaster mark dealt real damage to their bodies.

**[Kiryu's LP: 4000 - 2200]**

**[Bomber's LP: 4000 - 2200]**

**[Andre's LP: 4000 - 2200]**

**[Breo's LP: 4000 - 2200]**

**[Taro's LP: 3200 - 1400]**

"And I gain 600 Life Points!" Jose's voice roared over the nearby ocean as he reclaimed dominance over his attackers.

**[Jose's LP: 3200 - 3800]**

**[Grannel's ATK: 16300 - 16100]**

**[Wisel's ATK: 20800 - 21400]**

**[Skiel's ATK: 20200 - 20800]**

Bomber growled in frustration as he pushed a button on his Duel Disk. "Trap Card, activate! Hidden Soldiers! When my opponent Normal Summons during their turn, I can Special Summon a Level Four or lower Dark-Attribute Monster from my hand. I Special Summon Black Bomber in Defense Mode!"

A small cannonball with an evil expression rolled onto Bomber's field. It snickered as a flame was lit above its head.

**[Black Bomber: LV3/100/1100]**

Looking unfazed by the creature, Jose entered into his End Phase. "I end my turn."

"My turn! Draw!" Kiryu drew his card and stared at it for several seconds before adding it to his hand. "Damn, they're wiping the floor with us here. I can't be satisfied at all like this! I pass this turn."

"Of course you do," Placido said. "You may catch lucky breaks, but there's not a realistic thing you can do to stop our overwhelming streng-"

"My turn!" Bomber's booming voice cut Placido off. He shot the muscular man a hateful look, but remained silent.

Lucciano giggled childishly. "I think you went and made the big guy angry, Placido."

"I told you before that a group of ants together can lift several times their own weight! I'm going to show you just what I meant! I release Black Bomber to Advance Summon Summon Reactor・AI in Attack Mode!"

A second machine joined Trap Reactor, this one with the wings of a fighter jet.

**[Summon Reactor****・****AI: LV5/2000/1400]**

Lucciano scoffed. "What's this? Going in for a suicidal attack, are we?"

A small smirk appeared on Bomber's face. "Hardly. Just you watch! Trap Card, open! Delta Reactor! When I have Summon Reactor・AI, Trap Reactor・RR, and Magic Reactor・AID face-up on my field, I can send all three to the Graveyard to Special Summon Flying Fortress Giant Bomb Raider from my hand, deck, or Graveyard!"

The three emperors watched as Bomber's three Monsters were replaced by a much larger machine. It stood several meters in height and had an assortment of weaponry attached to its body.

**[Flying Fortress Giant Bomber Airraid: LV8/3000/2500]**

Taro looked on in awe of his fellow Duelist's Monster. "Amazing…"

Placido, on the other hand, was hardly impressed. "Big deal. What's 3000 points compared to more than 20,000?"

Bomber pressed another button on his Duel Disk in response. "I activate my second Trap! Chariot Pile! Once per turn during my Main Phase, I can inflict 800 points of damage to my opponent! This is a Battle Royale, so I can choose who receives this effect!"

The three emperors gasped as they were bombarded by a series of grenades. The explosions roughed them up a bit, even making them grunt in pain.

**[Placido's LP: 4000 - 3200]**

**[Lucciano's LP: 4000 - 3200]**

**[Jose's LP: 3800 - 3000]**

**[Grannel's ATK: 16100 - 15300]**

**[Wisel's ATK: 21400 - 17800]**

**[Skiel's ATK: 20800 - 17500]**

**[Infinite Spirit Machine: 32 Aura Counters]**

Placido ignored the pain and brushed off his shoulder. "Hmph. Was that a mosquito bite?"

"I'm not done yet! I use Giant Bomber Airraid to attack Grannel Carrier!"

**[Grannel Carrier: LV1/700/700]**

"Sharp Shooting!"

Jose narrowed his eyes. "I activate Grannel Guard's effect! I switch the attack toward Skuld, Goddess of Aesir!"

**[Skuld, Goddess of Aesir: LV7/2800/3400]**

The weakened Norse Goddess was used as a shield against the oncoming attack. She screamed in agony as her body was burned in the flames. Sieg's motionless body received yet another impact as he was thrown away from the field. The Duelists cursed under their breaths, unable to do anything to help him at the moment.

Despite taking damage, Jose laughed at the failed attack.

**[Jose's LP: 3000 - 2800]**

**[Grannel's ATK: 15300 - 12300]**

**[Wisel's ATK: 17800 - 14800]**

**[Skiel's ATK: 17500 - 14500]**

**[Infinite Spirit Machine: 34 Aura Counters]**

"Turn end!" Bomber reluctantly ended his turn.

Jose's expression shifted as Andre entered into his turn, drawing his card. "My turn! I activate the Quick-Play Magic, Burial from a Different Dimension! I return my Banished Thunder Unicorn to my Graveyard! I then end my turn."

The Graveyard slot on Andre's Duel Disk lit up as his card returned to the Graveyard pile. He then turned to Breo and gave him a nod. Returning the gesture, Breo placed his hand on his deck.

"My turn! Draw! When my opponent controls a face-up Monster while I control a Tuner Monster, I can Special Summon Different Dimension Unicorn Knight from my hand!"

A warrior clad in blue and red armor appeared before Breo holding a blade-edged lance. It had white wings sticking out of its back, a bushy tail, and a horn sticking out of its concealed helmet.

**[D.D. Unicorn Knight: LV4/1800/900]**

"I then activate my Trap, Horn of the Phantom Beast! This card becomes an Equipment Card with one face-up Beast-Type or Beast-Warrior-Type Monster and increases their Attack Power by 800 points!"

Unicorn Knight bellowed majestically as its horn doubled in length and its wings began to glow.

**[D.D. Unicorn Knight's ATK: 1800 - 2600]**

"Different Dimension Unicorn Knight, attack Grannel Carrier!"

**[Grannel Carrier: LV1/700/700]**

"Dimension Slasher!"

The attack was successful, and Grannel's bottom section was skewered. The explosion that resulted as enough to make Jose shield his eyes, but he was hardly backed into a corner.

Breo couldn't hold back his victorious smile as he basked in his successful strike. "When the Monster equipped with Horn of the Phantom Beast attacks and sends an opponent's Monster to the Graveyard, I can draw one card from my deck! I then set the card I drew and end my turn!"

Jose lowered his bushy brow. "Such trivial defile."

"My turn! Draw!" Taro drew his card and examined it. "I activate the Magic Card, Sealing Swords of Light! This prevents you from attacking for three of your turns each! I end my turn!"

Lucciano looked bored as the emperors were barricaded by white swords. Their field was now illuminated by a heavenly glow that ironically foiled their sinister expressions.

"These guys are really dragging this out," Lucciano whined in an irritated voice. "I wish they'd let us kill 'em already!"

Placido closed his eyes and drew his card. "My turn! I set one card face-down and end my turn!"

Without even announcing his turn, Lucciano drew his card.

"How boring!"

**Break**

On the Ark Cradle, Sherry stood firmly before Aki and Crow, who were trying to shut down the Planetary Gear that controlled the Momentum keeping the structure afloat. The three of them had their Duel Disks activated, ready to Duel.

Sherry closed her eyes as she began to speak. "My Life has been directly connected to the Planetary Gear's special device." Opening her eyes once again, Sherry's expression hardened. "Unless you defeat me, you won't be able to stop the Planetary Gear!"

"Sherry...!" Aki's sad eyes met the woman's through her helmet.

Crow hesitated for a moment before placing his hand over his deck. "We've got no choice...!"

"Duel!"

The three shouted at the same time while drawing their starting hands.

**[Aki's LP: 4000]**

**[Crow's LP: 4000]**

**[Sherry's LP: 4000]**

"I'll take the first turn. My turn!" Sherry drew her sixth card and added it to her hand. She then opened the Field Spell Zone on the edge of her Duel Disk and inserted a card into it. "I activate the Field Magic, École de Zone! While we are in this field, none of the players can Direct Attack one another."

As Sherry spoke, a thick field poured out from her Duel Disk. In a matter of seconds, the entire room was filled with the thick substance. Aki and Crow looked around in confusion at the turn of events.

"Come! I will take the both of you on at the same time!" The air around Sherry began to distort and her body split into two identical beings.

Crow's eyes widened in shock. "What?!"

Aki's expression matched her ally's. "Sherry split into two?!"

Crow looked over his shoulder and Aki's body vanished from view. He looked all around him for his friend, taken aback by her sudden disappearance. "Aki!" She did not answer his call.

Elsewhere, Aki faced a similar dilemma as her orange-haired friend was no longer in her company. "Crow!" The sound of wind answered her call.

"Welcome to my field." Aki turned to the sound of Sherry's voice. The blonde was not far from her, walking down a flight of stone stairs. The fog cleared just enough for Aki to make out what appeared to be a Rome-styled room complete with stone pillars and a patch of rose bushes. Once the fog cleared entirely, Aki noticed she was standing on a see-through floor. What was most puzzling, though, was the giant yellow eyeball watching her from the ceiling far above.

Sherry chuckled lightly as she watched Aki's uneasiness unfold within her new surroundings. At the same time, a separate Sherry chuckled in the same manner from up on a stone bridge. This Sherry faced Crow, who glared up at her from below. Crow's scenery was vastly different. The room looked more Aztec in design, and they were surrounded on each side by a sandy desert. Unbeknownst to Crow, the same giant eyeball that watched Aki was also watching him from behind.

"Sherry, where are we?! What happened to Aki?"

Sherry answered from up on the bridge above him. "This is the Field Effect of École de Zone."

In both locations, the two Sherrys were speaking the same sentence at the same time.

"I am going to fight you at the same time in two separate fields!"

Both Aki and Crow gasped in their locations, unsure of how to react to their surroundings. Before they had a chance to think, the rooms around them began to churn and spin. Aki's floor repositioned her so she was facing Sherry from the opposite side of the field. This is when Aki noticed there was a strange source of gravity in the room, because there was a set of stairs on the ceiling above her where Sherry now stood, upside down.

In Crow's room, he began to cough as a blue fog filled the air around him. Once it cleared, he noticed two green blob creatures of differing sizes standing in front of Sherry. The woman chuckled softly when she saw his bewildered face.

"You seem a bit confused. Revealing all the effects of a Field Magic kills the fun, so you'll just have to learn as we go. I'll give you a small hint, though. These blob creatures are known as Mask Tokens."

**[Mask Token #1: LV1/800/400]**

**[Mask Token #2: LV1/2200/1600]**

"So they're tokens?" Crow searched the field for answers to no avail. "Where the hell did they come from?"

"Who knows?" The woman's smirk painted a different answer.

Crow couldn't help but laugh at her. "I didn't realize you were this sadistic…"

Sherry opened her mouth to speak, but Crow suddenly realized he couldn't hear what she was saying. A red gas circulated around him, somehow masking the room's audio. As he tried to hear what she was saying, the larger Mask Token leaned over and swallowed the smaller one.

**[Mask Token: LV1/3700/3100]**

The red gas entered his nostrils, making Crow feel dizzy. He staggered forward as he watched the woman's lips moving.

"_What is she saying?" _he thought to himself. _"I can't hear her!"_

Elsewhere, Aki faced an upside down Sherry in the Roman garden room. "Sherry, it looks like I've got no other option but to fight you. My turn! I Summon Night Rose Knight!"

A petite swordsman with light blue hair and dark grey armor appeared before the woman. It slashed its sword around threateningly.

**[Night Rose Knight: LV3/1000/1000]**

Aki gasped when a yellow gas filled the field below her feet. A green blob creature appeared beside her Monster.

"What?!"

**[Mask Token: LV1/1000/1000]**

"My Monster was duplicated with a Monster Token holding the same Attack Power? What's going on in this field?"

Sherry laughed softly, her lips curling into a small grin.

Ignoring the situation, Aki continued with her turn. "I activate Night Rose Knight's Monster Effect. When it's Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a Level Four or lower Plant-Type from my hand. I Special Summon Violet Witch in Attack Mode!"

Joining Aki's army was a blue-skinned Spellcaster wearing a purple robe with green leaves attached to it.

**[Violet Witch: LV4/1100/1200]**

Like before, yellow gas filled the field and created a second blob creature.

**[Mask Token #2: LV1/1100/1200]**

"Another duplicate?"

"These duplicates are called Mask Tokens," said Sherry through her grin.

"And what do these Mask Tokens do?"

"You'll have to find out on your own. Will they aid you? Will they harm you? Learn through trial and error."

"Fine. I set two cards face-down. Turn end."

Crow's eyes stopped spinning as his room finished shifting him about. When he finally brought himself to look up, he was standing upside down looking at Sherry below. He gasped when he saw two new Mask Tokens besides the one he saw before.

**[Mask Token #1: LV1/1000/1000]**

**[Mask Token #2: LV1/1100/1200]**

**[Mask Token #3: LV1/3700/3100]**

"Where did those two new Mask Tokens come from?!"

"Turn end," Sherry said, ignoring his question.

Crow eyed her field and saw five set cards. He wondered when she set two additional cards.

The field shifted once again, this time placing Crow at the bottom and Sherry upside down on a reverse castle that defied gravity.

"Wh-What kind of trick is this?! You're using some weird magic!" When Crow realized Sherry wasn't going to answer him, he quickly entered into his turn and drew his card. "Then I'll break through it! My turn!"

Crow eyed his hand and appeared to be happy with his lineup. The card he just drew was Black Feather – Blast the Black Spear. By its effect, if he controlled another Black Feather Monster on the field, he could Special Summon in a two-Monsters-for-one combo.

"Black Feather - Kochi the Daybreak!"

A small purple-black feathered bird appeared on Crow's field by his feet.

**[Black Feather - Kochi the Daybreak: LV4/700/1500]**

"Then...!" Before Crow could finish, a yellow gas appeared beside his Monster, creating a Mask Token beside his Black Feather. "What?! The same Monster Token Sherry Summoned...?"

Sherry simply laughed at Crow's surprise.

"Whatever! When I control a Black Feather on my field, I can Special Summon Black Feather – Blast the Black Spear! Attack Mode!"

A larger birdman with blue and orange mixed feathers appeared holding a black lance in its outstretched talons.

**[Black Feather – Blast the Black Spear: LV4/1700/1800]**

**[Mask Token #2: LV1/1700/1800]**

"Another Mask Token with the same Attack and Defense? What's with this field?!"

Sherry laughed again, tilting her body back slightly. "This world is filled with mysteries, isn't it?"

Crow clicked his tongue at her comment. "I set a card face-down and end my turn!"

As the field began to spin again, Aki noticed a larger Mask Token on Sherry's field that she hadn't seen before.

**[Mask Token: LV1/3700/3100]**

"What?! Where did such a powerful Monster come from?!"

"I Summon a new Mask Token!"

**[Mask Token #2: LV1/700/1500]**

Sherry's voice became distorted as the same blue fog that affected Crow began to enter Aki's nostrils. She became dizzy and could no longer hear Sherry.

"_I can't hear her…!" _she thought frantically.

When the blue fog suddenly subsided, there was a third Mask Token on the field.

**[Mask Token #3: LV1/1700/1800]**

"Sherry, are you cheating?! Where did you get all these powerful tokens from?!"

"I just explained my turn. Weren't you listening?" Sherry's smirk widened, since she knew what Aki's response would be.

Aki tried to open her mouth to protest, but her body suddenly became stiff. The blue fog darkened considerably and choked Aki's lungs.

"Did you hear me, Aki Izayoi? I asked you what the matter with you is? You shouldn't underestimate me, you know."

"Wha…?" Aki's eyes went blank momentarily and her expression dazed. The black fog was now gone. "What was I thinking…?" The woman shook her head, trying to shake off a strange feeling along with it.

"I use my Mask Token to attack yours!"

**[Sherry's Mask Token: 2200 ATK]**

**[Aki's Mask Token: 1000 ATK]**

"As long as Night Rose Knight remains face-up on my field, all of my Plant-Type Monsters can't be attacked! This attack is invalid!"

"Not quite. Mask Tokens may have the same Attack Power and effects, but they're all Dark-Attribute Monsters with the Fiend-Type."

"What?"

"The attack will continue."

Aki narrowed her eyes. "In that case, I activate my Trap Card! Rose Blizzard! When one of my Monsters is targeted in battle, I can end the battle and switch the attacking Monster into Defense Position!"

The attacking Mask Token turned grey as it was forced into Defense Mode.

"I set a card face-down, ending my turn!"

"My turn!" Aki eyed Sherry's field cautiously as she tried to figure out what was going on. She recalled seeing a larger Mask Token with 3700 Attack Power earlier, but realized Sherry never used it to attack. She did a double take when she didn't see that Mask Token on the field anywhere. Feeling unsure of herself, she considered the possibility that she misread its Attack Power the first time. She felt a headache coming on and grasped her forehead with her palm. Finally deciding to leave it for the moment, Aki continued with her turn.

"In that case, I'll release the Monster Token to Advance Summon Rose Tentacles."

One of Aki's Mask Tokens disappeared and was replaced by a tentacle creature with sharp thorns.

**[Rose Tentacles: LV6/2200/2100]**

**[Mask Token: LV1/2200/2100]**

Aki turned her gaze to the new Mask Token that appeared next to Rose Tentacles. She did not understand the point of the Field Magic, as it seemed to give all players an equal advantage by giving them additional Monsters. If anything, it was meant to end the match quicker. She was aware that Sherry was using some kind of trick to make her lose her focus, but that did not change the fact that she now had a Token on the field with equal Attack Power to Sherry's along with one weaker.

"Battle!"

**[Sherry's Mask Token: 700 ATK]**

**[Aki's Mask Token: 2200 ATK]**

At her command, the giant blob rushed forward and crushed the smaller blob in front of Sherry with one strike of its fist. Sherry felt the force of the impact and grunted in response.

**[Sherry's LP: 4000 - 2500]**

"Turn end!"

Back in Crow's room, Sherry was in the process of making her move.

"It's my turn! I release my Mask Token in order to Advance Summon another Monster Token. Battle!"

**[Mask Token: 2200 ATK]**

**[Crow's Mask Token: 700 ATK]**

Crow gritted his teeth as the attack landed, sending a wave of pain through his body.

**[Crow's LP: 4000 - 2500]**

Sherry's smirk widened. "When a Mask Token is destroyed in battle, the owner of the token takes half its Attack Power as damage!"

"Say what?!" Crow screamed as the giant eyeball behind him shot a beam of energy right through his lower back.

**[Crow's LP: 2500 - 2150]**

"Turn end!"

As the field around Crow spun once again, he made out what appeared to be another larger Mask Token. As soon as he blinked, it was no longer in sight.

"What the?"

Crow blinked several times before deciding to let it go. Sherry was now on equal ground as him only several feet away. "My turn!" As he drew his card, Crow analyzed the field in front of him, noting that all of the Monster Tokens Sherry Summoned had different Attack and Defense Points. He was trying to figure out where these tokens were coming from. Perhaps it had something to do with the effect of École de Zone, but Sherry hadn't played any other Monsters the entire match. He then thought about the other Mask Token that appeared and disappeared, wondering if the magic of the field was casting illusions to try and confuse him.

Sherry chuckled at Crow's expression and placed her hands on her hips. "What's wrong, Crow?"

The sound of the woman's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "Nothing! I switch Kochi the Daybreak into Defense Mode! Then I release my Mask Token and Advance Summon Black Feather – Sirocco the Dawn in Attack Mode!"

A new Black Feather with brown feathers and a black-red chest plate appeared on the field. Its beady eyes gave it a sense of shrewdness.

**[Black Feather – Sirocco the Dawn: LV5/2000/900]**

**[Mask Token: LV1/2000/900]**

"Then I activate the Magic Card, Black Whirlwind, from my hand! When a Black Feather is Normal Summoned on my field, I can add one Black Feather with less Attack Power than the Summoned Monster to my hand!" Crow quickly shifted through his deck and picked the card he wanted. He then used his Duel Disk's automatic deck shuffler to reshuffle the deck. "When I control a Black Feather on the field, I can Special Summon Black Feather – Gale the Whirlwind from my hand! Defense Mode!"

A much smaller bird creature with blue and green feathers joined Crow's bird unit.

**[Black Feather – Gale the Whirlwind: LV3/1300/400]**

Back in Aki's room, Sherry was in the process of conducting her turn.

"I release my Mask Token to Advance Summon another Mask Token!"

**[Mask Token: LV1/2000/900]**

Aki blinked rapidly, once again feeling her senses overcome as the room around her filled with purple fog.

Crow, on the other side, wore a confident grin on his face. "How's that, Sherry?"

When the purple fog cleared, a Trap Card was flipped up in front of Sherry, much to Crow's shock.

"Trap, activate! Fleur de Vertige! When a Monster is Special Summoned on the opponent's field, that Monster is removed from play!"

The eyeball in the center of the field shot an electrical beam that paralyzed the Black Feather, forcing it down onto its knees.

"What?! Gale the Whirlwind's gonna be removed from play?! Like hell I'll let you do that! Counter Trap, activate! Down Force! When one of my Monsters is removed from the field by one of the opponent's Card Effects, that effect is negated and the card is destroyed!"

Sherry's card was shattered along with the electrical energy. Gale the Whirlwind was freed from its spell. Sherry gritted her teeth while her body was again cast in a thick layer of purple fog.

The fog cleared once again, but Crow was too busy boasting over his own move to notice it even appeared this time. "Good. Battle! Blast the Black Spear attacks your Mask Token!"

**[Mask Token: 1700 ATK]**

"My Mask Token attacks your Mask Token!"

Unable to keep up with Sherry's unexplainable moves, Aki was caught off guard by the oncoming attack.

**[Aki's Mask Token: 1000 ATK]**

The Psychic Duelist felt the pain enter her body when the Mask Token was crushed. She grasped her arm with her other hand, trying not to show her enemy weakness.

**[Aki's LP: 4000 - 3300]**

"When a Mask Token is destroyed, the token's owner takes half its Attack Power as damage!"

Aki's eyes widened when Sherry explained this effect, but she quickly sprung a counter of her own. "Trap Card! Nature's Reflection!"

Crow lost his footing as the field quickly shifted. When he looked up at his opponent, he was shocked to see the Trap Card Nature's Reflection face-up on her field.

"What?!"

Sherry chuckled lightly before she started to speak. "This card activates when I would take damage during this turn from a card effect. You take the damage instead!"

Crow was knocked back by the card's blast.

**[Crow's LP: 2150 - 1300]**

The field spun around once more, but this time Aki noticed Sherry had a Black Feather Monster on her field. She eyed the Monster curiously, not sure of where it came from.

"Sherry...? Why do you have a Black Feather?"

Without answering, the older woman smirked at her question.

"I set one card and end my turn!" Crow declared, a card appearing in front of him.

At the same time, Aki's Sherry mimicked the move, a card also appearing in front of her.

"Answer me! Why do you have a Black Feather Monster on your field? You shouldn't have that archetype in your-"

The giant eye released a black gas that again assaulted the woman's senses. Her eyes went blank and she lost her train of thought. She grabbed her head with both of her hands and began to sweat bullets. "What's this feeling? I feel like I'm forgetting something important…"

Sherry's smirk widened. "You are. You're forgetting the fact that it's your turn."

Aki wiped the sweat from her forehead while glaring at the woman. "My turn! Draw! I use Rose Tentacles to attack your Mask Token! Thorn Whip!"

Crow was hit with a sudden impact. He was sent flying across the room, screaming all the way.

**[Crow's LP: 1300 - 650]**

Crow looked around the room in shock. "Where the hell did that attack come from?!"

When Sherry did not answer, Crow jumped back to his feet and pressed a button on his Duel Disk. "Trap Card, Black Feather Beacon! When I take damage from a card effect, I can Special Summon one Level Four or lower Black Feather from my hand or deck! I Special Summon Black Feather - Shura the Blue Flame in Attack Mode!"

**[Black Feather - Shura the Blue Flame: LV4/1800/1200]**

Black fog filled the field below Crow's body. He grabbed his head when he felt a sharp pain in his skull. At the same time, Aki was experiencing the same sensation.

"What's this strange feeling?" Crow asked out loud. He noticed the giant eye glowing in the background and began to become suspicious. "Is it coming from that strange eye?"

As Crow's pain intensified, he gasped when he saw Aki standing where Sherry was for a brief second. The vision then returned to normal, but it left Crow with a sinking feeling in his gut. "What the? What was that?"

On the other side, Aki felt the strength drained out of her body from the assault. "Turn end…"

"My turn!" Crow drew his card and examined his hand. He thought of the pained expression he saw on Aki's face and grew worried. _"I'm not sure what's going on, but Aki might be in danger! I gotta win this match quick and go help her out!" _he thought.

"I release Gale the Whirlwind to Advance Summon Black Feather – Kogarashi the Wanderer in Attack Mode!"

Another Black Feather Monster appeared, this one with feathers in shades of blue, red, and black.

**[Black Feather - Kogarashi the Wanderer: LV6/2300/1600]**

"Battle! Kogarashi the Wanderer attacks your Mask Token!"

**[Kogarashi's ATK: 2300]**

**[Token: 2200 ATK]**

"Trap Card, open!" Sherry flipped up a card on her field. "High Half! This card halves the Attack Power of one Monster with 2000 Attack Points or higher!"

**[Mask Token's ATK: 2200 - 1100]**

Aki gasped as her Mask Token suddenly had its score cut in half. "What?! Why was its Attack Power halved?!"

Aki looked up to see Kogarashi the Wanderer coming straight for her weakened token. With one slash of its talon, the Mask Token was sliced in half and destroyed.

**[Aki's LP: 3300 - 2200]**

"École de Zone activates!"

Aki had no time to prepare herself for the second wave. She was instantly floored and rendered temporarily paralyzed.

**[Aki's LP: 2200 - 1100]**

On Crow's end, he was having a difficult time understanding what just happened. From his perspective, he saw Sherry weakening her own Monster and damaging herself, which made absolutely no sense. Crow became suspicious once again, but his thoughts were clouded by the black gas around him. As he stared into the giant eye ball up above him, he met eyes with Aki for a brief second. It was then that he confirmed his theory. He had no way of proving his theory, but he knew Aki did. He had no choice but to leave it in her hands, assuming she also realized what was going on.

Sherry chuckled at Aki's pain from an unknown location. "No matter what you try, neither of you will be able to run away from this field." She then slipped a card into her Duel Disk. "I activate the Magic Card, Copied Imitation! This card copies a Token on the field and Special Summons a Token onto the opponent's field with the same abilities. Additionally, the opposing player takes damage equal to half of the Monster's Attack Points."

One of Sherry's Mask Tokens divided into two. It was then transferred to Aki's field in front of her.

**[Mask Token's ATK: 1700]**

Aki looked down at the new blob creature with confusion, unsure of where the effect just came from. The Sherry standing in front of her with two Black Feather Monsters had not said a word from Aki's point of view. Before Aki had time to react, the giant blob leaned over and smacked her across the chest. She stumbled forward, just barely managing to keep her balance from the assault.

**[Aki's LP: 1100 - 250]**

The girl lifted her head and examined the field closely. _"Is it possible someone else is watching this Duel from another location?" _she thought to herself.

Aki stared at the Black Feather Monsters for several seconds before she saw Crow staring back at her. It only lasted for a second, but it was enough to confirm her thoughts on what was happening. Aki closed her eyes and thought back to what Sherry said to them before the match began.

"_I am going to fight you at the same time in two separate fields!"_

When Aki opened her eyes, her expression was different. She was no longer confused, but rather knew exactly what was happening. She looked directly up toward the giant eye's location as she opened her mouth to address Sherry. She was not addressing the imposter that stood before her, but the true mastermind hiding herself inside the eye.

"Sherry, you're a terrible liar," Aki said with a smile.

Inside the eye's dimension, Sherry maintained her confidence. "It appears that you just noticed something. But it's impossible for you to get out of there!"

"Sherry, you're taking the bonds Team 5D's shares too lightly. Kogarashi the Wanderer has one other effect."

The real Sherry's smile faded as Aki's words echoed in her ears.

"It's my turn!" Aki drew her card and added it to her hand. "I'm Tuning my Level One Monster Token with the Level Six Kogarashi the Wanderer!"

**(1+6=7)**

The Black Feather on Imposter Sherry's field vanished as it was absorbed by the card in Aki's hand.

Real Sherry was shocked by the move, as was reflected in her widened eyes. "What?! With the Monster on your opponent's side of the field?!"

"According to Kogarashi the Wanderer's Monster Effect, I can use it as material for a Synchro Summon."

Aki's field lit up with a green light that consumed both the Monsters.

"Chilling flames engulf the entire world. Pitch-dark flower, set into bloom! Synchro Summon! Appear now, Black Rose Dragon!"

Aki's Signer Dragon materialized before her, its deep red wings appearing like a menacing rose thorn bush. It roared mightily over its opponent with pride.

**[Black Rose Dragon: LV7/2400/1800]**

"When Black Rose Dragon is successfully Synchro Summoned, all cards on the field are destroyed! Go! Black Rose Gale!"

Imposter Sherry was met with a blast of wind Black Rose Dragon emitted from its mouth. The wind was so powerful that all the cards on her field were destroyed. More importantly, the Field Magic entrapping her and Crow began to crumble piece by piece around them.

"Your field is through, Sherry."

Inside the eye, Real Sherry was hit with the same wind blast. Caught off guard, she stared in shock as Aki's strategy wiped out her entire field card by card.

"What?"

Not beaten yet, Sherry silently activated one of her face-down cards while the second card was shattered and sent into the Graveyard.

From Crow's side, the ancient buildings around him were disappearing one by one. He pumped his fist in celebration at Aki's success. "Yes! You did it, Aki!"

At long last, the Field Spell disappeared entirely and Crow's eyes were met with a blinding white light. When the light faded, Aki stared back at him with a relieved smile on her face.

"Crow!"

"Aki!"

When the two confirmed one another's safety, they turned their gaze to the real Sherry standing opposite to them. They were now back in the Arc Cradle, surrounded by the Momentum energy and the Planetary Gear behind their opponent. Sherry scowled at them as they glared at her.

"You almost had us there, Sherry!" Crow called over to her. "In the beginning, you had us believing we were facing you in two separate Duels."

"But in reality that was all a huge lie," Aki continued. "While we believed we were playing in two separate Duels, you actually made it so that the three of us, Sherry, were fighting each other using the Battle Royale rules."

"God... You were using a really cheap trick back there!" Crow's voice rose over the Planetary Gear's hum.

Sherry finally brought back her smirk. "Heh, good job seeing through it."

"I noticed I was having some strange memory loss during the match," Crow continued. "I kept seeing different stats and random Mask Tokens appearing on the field that I never even remembered you playing."

"The same happened to me," Aki said. "When the two of us began to question the illusion at the same time, we were able to break through it momentarily. At first I thought I was just seeing things, but it soon became clear when I saw Black Feathers on your field."

Crow flashed his friend a warm smile. "I believed Aki would definitely figure it out!"

Aki returned the smile with a nod. "Yes. All thanks to what Yusei did back then..."

Days before the World Riding Grand Prix, Aki and Crow recalled Yusei pulling them aside along with Jack. It was during one of their training sessions during the early evening sunset. They frequently practiced riding with their D-Wheels in the Neo Domino Stadium to increase their speed times.

"_Listen up, everyone," _Yusei said that day. _"There's something we have to do if we want to win as a team."_

"_What do you mean?" _Crow had asked.

"_We should all look over each other's decks."_

Without hesitating, the members of Team 5D's took out their decks and placed their hands out in front of them.

"_From now on, we need to be able to connect to our teammates whenever we want to. In order to ensure this, you should memorize all the cards in your friends' decks."_

Jack had said nothing, though the smile on his face spoke for him.

"_I get it," _said Crow. _"If we do that...!"_

Aki excitedly finished Crow's sentence. _"So fighting as a team means we'll be able to use the cards our friends left behind."_

In the present, Aki eyed Sherry with a serious look on her face. "After that day, we worked hard to memorize all of our friends' Traps and Monster Effects."

"So that even if you can't hear their voices or see them," Crow went on, "Yusei taught us that the bonds Team 5D's shares is unmatched by anyone else!"

Sherry broke out into a soft laugh in response.

"What's so funny?!"

"You deserve praise for seeing through the trap I set for you. But the irony is that was nothing compared to the true fear that looms over you!"

"What do you mean?" Aki snapped back.

"You didn't notice, did you? The cards I had set on my field that were destroyed by your Black Rose Dragon's effect?!"

Aki and Crow shared a gasp at this information.

"The real battle starts now! To start, I'll reset my field to before your effect destroyed my Monster! During your Black Rose Dragon's assault, I activated a Trap Card known as Zone Reset. When one of my Monsters would be destroyed by a card effect, I can remove that Monster from the game along with any Equipment cards I had equipped to it. I can then pay 1000 Life Points to bring that Monster back along with its equipped cards in the same position it was in before the effect activated. Return to my field, Centaur Mina!"

A black wormhole opened up and a female centaur warrior emerged. The half-horse, half-woman creature held in its hands a sword and shield and wore heavy armor around her chest. In addition to that, her right arm holding the sword was deformed and glowed a vibrant red.

**[Centaur Mina: LV6/3700/3100]**

"What?!" Crow's eyes widened at the Monster's stats. "When did you play such a powerful Monster?!"

"The mysterious power of École de Zone distorted not just your memory, but also your senses. While you were busy battling each other, I was preparing my field for our true battle. All the while you had no idea what I was doing or saying, because the Field Spell controlled your vision and your hearing."

"Now that I think about it, I did see a Mask Token with 3700 Attack Power once or twice, though I thought I was just hallucinating."

Sherry chuckled as she continued. "This is the power of Z-one. That man possesses mysterious power that none of us here can begin to fathom. The power of a god, able to manipulate our senses and control us like puppets. Though you did well in finding out, you took too long in doing so."

Crow and Aki growled as they viewed their current Life Point status.

**[Aki's LP: 250]**

**[Crow's LP: 650]**

"Centaur Mina is also equipped with the Equipment Magic known as Fusion Weapon, increasing her Attack and Defense by 1500 points. The drop in Life Points is well worth it."

**[Sherry's Life Points: 4000 - 3000]**

"Now onto the main event. As I said before, your Black Feather Dragon _also_ destroyed my set Magic Card, Z-ONE, and sent it to the Graveyard." Sherry pressed a button on her Duel Disk and popped the card out of her Graveyard slot. "This card can be activated when it's destroyed and sent into the Graveyard!" The woman raised the card above her head, casting a bright light on her foes. "I activate the effects of the Z-ONE Magic Card from my Graveyard!"

Crow and Aki grunted and shielded their eyes from the intense light with their arms.

Sherry wore a confident smirk as she basked in the light of her card. "Using the power of the card my father left me…I'm going to send the both of you to your graves!"

**BREAK**

Back down in Neo Domino City, Jose flatly drew a card without doing anything in his turn due to the Sealing Swords of Light that blocked him from attacking. "I pass. Make your move."

"My turn! Draw!"

**[Kiryu's LP: 2200]**

Kiryu viewed his card, but he was not ready to make his move just yet. "I pass this turn as well."

"My turn! Draw!"

**[Bomber's LP: 2200]**

"During my Main Phase, Chariot Pile inflicts 800 points of damage to the opponents of my choice!"

"Quick-Play Magic, activate!" Placido flipped open the card he had face-down on his field. "Cyclone! I destroy your Chariot Pile!"

Bomber's field was overtaken by a massive tornado that sucked away his Trap Card. He gritted his teeth, but could do nothing to stop the card's destruction.

"Don't think you can damage us two times in a row that easily!"

Placido's response was countered by Bomber's sly smile. "Don't rest easy just because you destroyed my rouse."

"What?"

"I discard a card from my hand to activate the effect of Flying Fortress Giant Bomber Airraid! By discarding a card once per turn, I can destroy one card my opponent controls! I destroy Mechlord Emperor Grannel!"

Jose began to sweat when he looked down and saw his Magic/Trap Zone was nearly empty. "Dammit!"

Placido became frantic as he came to the same conclusion. "None of my cards can stop his effect!"

Lucciano glanced over at Bomber's wry grin and came to a sudden conclusion. "Has he been waiting for this?!"

Kiryu chuckled as the emperors lost their composure. "It may have taken a while, but even you guys will run low on cards after a while. You used up most of your hand from the start and now you're basically top decking every turn! No Duelist is completely invincible!"

Bomber lashed his arm forward as he commanded his tank of a monster. "Death Drop!"

Grannel was showered by grenades. None of its effects dealt with Monster Effects, and once the main head piece exploded, the remaining pieces joined it. Jose's field was now completely empty, all his Grannel parts lying in the Graveyard. Jose screamed as the fiery explosion collided with his metallic body.

**[Wisel's ATK: 14800 - 5300]**

**[Skiel's ATK: 14500 - 4700]**

"Giant Bomber Airraid, attack Jose directly! Sharp Shooting!"

Placido screamed violently into the air, startling Bomber. "Don't get carried away! I may have not been able to stop your effect, but I can still stop your direct attacks! Trap Card, Labyrinth of Kline! When my opponent attacks with a Monster, I negate that attack and switch their original Attack and Defense Power until the End Phase of the turn!"

**[Giant Bomer Airraid: 2500/3000]**

Frustrated, Bomber clenched his fist hard against his side. He was now unable to do anything else. "Turn end."

Andre took the next turn. "My turn! Draw!"

**[Andre's LP: 2200]**

"Trap Card, activate! Call of the Living Dead! I revive Thunder Unicorn from my Graveyard in Attack Mode!"

**[Thunder Unicorn: LV5/2200/1800]**

"I activate Thunder Unicorn's Monster Effect! Once per turn, I can target one of my opponent's Monsters. That Monster loses 500 Attack Points for each Monster on our side of the field until my End Phase! We've got a total of nine Monsters, which totals 4500 Attack Points! I target Mechlord Emperor Wisel!"

"What?!" Placido's face twisted in surprise as Thunder Unicorn shot a beam of lighting at Wisel.

**[Wisel's ATK: 5300 - 800]**

"Thunder Unicorn, attack Mechlord Emperor Wisel! Thunder Spear!"

Andre's unicorn neighed as it galloped forward toward the weakened machine. It shot a second beam of lightning that headed straight for Wisel's head.

"I activate Wisel Guard's effect! I switch the attack to it!"

The lightning beam was redirected to Wisel's shield. It was shattered and sent into the Graveyard.

Placido suddenly noticed he had sweat dripping down his forehead, much to his surprise. He angrily wiped the sweat and stared at his hand in disarray. "For a lowly human to make me sweat like this… You'll live to regret it!"

Not saying anything, Jose stared daggers into the Duelists with pure hatred in his eyes.

"Thank you, Andre."

The Duelists gasped and looked up at Lucciano, who now wore a neutral expression on his face.

"What…did you say?"

"Thanks to you, we can share a bit of the pain we suffered." Unlike his usual persona, Lucciano was now quiet and reserved.

Jose looked at his younger partner through the corner of his eyes. "Is it that card?"

Placido couldn't hold back his sinister smirk. "Perfect."

"Quick-Play Magic, activate. Land of Demise!"

The Duelists looked on in shock as the field around them twisted and turned. Before they realized it, they were floating in mid-air, above what appeared to be a wasteland. Several stone tablets in the shape of Duel Monster cards littered the charred ground, with a burning sun positioned in the center of the mess.

"What…is this?" Taro looked at the scenery with nervous eyes.

"This is the land that you humans will create with your own hands," Jose said curtly. "Since you desire to mimic those Signers so much in defying us, we will show you what we showed them."

Placido's grin widened as he felt a sudden sadistic impulse course through his veins. "With each turn that passes, we'll let you feel a section of our pain one vision at a time!"

Lucciano's expression grew twisted as he stared directly into Andre's eyes. "Andre, you Special Summoned your Thunder Unicorn during your turn. I've been waiting for this moment since you sent it to your Graveyard last turn. Thanks to you, I was able to trigger our plan into motion."

"What do you mean by that?" Andre's voice was now tense and paranoid.

"When my opponent Special Summons, Land of Demise allows me to add one Field Magic from my deck into my hand. I can then activate it."

"A Field Magic?" Kiryu grew increasingly worried and his voice showed it. "You guys had a card like that hidden?"

"I activate the Field Magic, Mechlord Imperial Castle! I invite you all to experience the home of the Mechlord Emperors!"

The vision faded as the Duelists stood in front of the Daedalus Bridge once again. This time, however, the scenery was far different than anything they had ever seen. Towering over them was what appeared to be an enormous pod. Energy shot out of the pod and surrounded them on each side, completely engulfing the bridge and the highway. In the center of the magnetic force field appeared the symbol of Yliaster, an infinity symbol, inside a ball of dense, blue-red material.

"What in the world…is this?" Breo mumbled.

The buildings around the group changed in appearance one by one, looking far more futuristic in design. The Ark Cradle was no longer in view, and the sky was blue and clear.

"What is this…?" Taro managed through his clenched teeth.

"You're about to witness the result of human evolution firsthand," Jose said in a raspy voice. "Pay close attention."

**BREAK**

In the Ark Cradle, Sherry continued her counterattack against Aki and Crow.

"Using the effect of Z-ONE, I remove the Field Magic in my deck, Soul-Binding Gate, from play!"

Crow's eyes widened. "What?!"

"And at the same time, Z-ONE will invoke the Soul-Binding Gate onto the field! In addition, the card that appears on the field due to Z-ONE's effect cannot be destroyed!"

Sherry flashed a twisted smile as a massive gate rose from behind her, blocking the Planetary Gear off completely. A skeletal figure caped in a black robe appeared atop the gate, pointing its sickle over Sherry's head threateningly. A second skeleton devoid of robes emerged from the center of the gate. It wrapped its bony hands around Sherry's neck and waist, and hoisted her willing body up above the Signers.

"Sherry!" Aki called out in concern for their former friend despite the situation.

The robed skeleton pointed its sharp sickle behind Sherry's head and its eyes glowed a deep red.

Despite what was happening to her, Sherry's smile stayed intact. "And betting my very life with the Soul-Binding Gate...I will not let either of you take even one step past this gateway!"

"Why would you go this far…?" Aki said quietly, feeling sick to her stomach.

"This is a Death Game! You two will join me!"

A smaller gate rose behind the two Signers, complete with two more skeletons. The creatures grabbed both Crow and Aki by the throat, binding their necks in a tight hold.

The two Signers began to cough violently as their throats were clenched.

Sherry's grin widened as she soaked in the evil essence behind her. "The three of us have now made a pact with the God of Death. When our Life Points drop to zero, the Grim Reaper will cut out our chests and drag our souls into the underworld!"

**END**

**The power of the gods has been invoked! What will the Duelists do now?! **

**To Be Continued in Chapter 4: "Sherry LeBlanc and the Lost Will to Live"**

**Cards Used (In Order of Appearance)**

**Mechlord Emperor Wisel (OCG: Meklord Emperor Wisel)**

**DARK**

**Level 1**

**Machine/Effect**

**2500/2500**

**Other monsters you control cannot attack. Once per turn, you can select and equip 1 face-up Synchro Monster your opponent controls to this card. This card gains ATK equal to the combined ATK of all Synchro Monsters equipped to it and all other face-up "Wisel", "Skiel", and "Grannel" monsters you control. When this card is destroyed, destroy all monsters you control.**

**Wisel Top**

**DARK**

**Level 1**

**Machine/Effect**

**500/0**

**If you do not control a face-up "Mechlord Emperor" monster, destroy this card.**

**Wisel Attack 3**

**DARK**

**Level 3**

**Machine/Effect**

**1600/0**

**You can Tribute 1 "Wisel Attack" to Special Summon this card from your hand. If you do not control a face-up "Mechlord Emperor" monster, destroy this card. During battle between an attacking "Mechlord Emperor" monster you control and a Defense Position monster whose DEF is lower than the ATK of the attacking monster, inflict piercing damage to your opponent.**

**Wisel Guard**

**DARK**

**Level 1**

**0/1200**

**If you do not control a face-up "Mechlord Emperor" monster, destroy this card. When another monster you control is selected as an attack target, you can switch the target to this card instead.**

**Wisel Guard **

**DARK**

**Level 1**

**800/600**

**Destroy this card if you do not control a "Mechlord Emperor" monster. This card cannot be destroyed by your opponent's card effects.**

**Mechlord Emperor Skiel ∞ (OCG: Meklord Emperor Skiel)**

**WIND**

**Level 1**

**Machine/Effect**

**2200/2200**

**Other monsters you control cannot attack. Once per turn, you can equip 1 face-up Synchro Monster your opponent controls to this card. This card gains ATK equal to the combined ATK of all Synchro Monsters equipped to it and all other face-up "Wisel","Skiel", and "Grannel" monsters you control. When this card is destroyed, destroy all monsters you control.**

**Skiel Top**

**WIND**

**Level 1**

**Machine/Effect**

**600/0**

**If you do not control a face-up "Mechlord Emperor" monster, destroy this card.**

**Skiel Attack**

**WIND**

**Level 1**

**Machine/Effect**

**1000/0**

**If you do not control a face-up "Mechlord Emperor" monster, destroy this card.**

**Skiel Guard**

**WIND**

**Level 1**

**Machine/Effect**

**200/300**

**If you do not control a face-up "Mechlord Emperor" monster, destroy this card. Once per turn, when a monster you control is selected as an attack target, you can negate the attack.**

**Skiel Carrier**

**WIND**

**Level 1**

**Machine/Effect**

**400/0**

**If you do not control a face-up "Mechlord Emperor" monster, destroy this card.**

**Mechlord Emperor Grannel (OCG: Meklord Emperor Granel)**

**EARTH**

**Level 1**

**Machine/Effect**

**0/0**

**Other monsters you control cannot attack, except for Synchro Monsters equipped to this card. This card's original ATK and DEF are equal to your Life Points. This card gains ATK equal to the combined ATK of all Synchro Monsters equipped to this card. When this card is destroyed, destroy all monsters you control.**

**Grannel Top **

**EARTH**

**Level 1**

**Machine/Effect**

**500/0**

**If you do not control a face-up "Mechlord Emperor" monster, destroy this card. When a "Mechlord Emperor" monster you control declares an attack, you can negate the effects of 1 face-up Synchro Monster your opponent controls, until the End Phase.**

**Grannel Attack**

**EARTH**

**Level 1**

**Machine/Effect**

**1300/0**

**If you do not control a face-up "Mechlord Emperor" monster, destroy this card. Once per turn, if a "Mechlord Emperor" monster you control destroys an opponent's Synchro Monster by battle: You can equip that monster to a face-up "Mechlord Emperor" monster you control. At the start of each of your Battle Phases, if you control a face-up "Mechlord Emperor" monster equipped with a Synchro Monster(s): Treat those equipped Synchro Monsters as monsters you control in the Spell & Trap Card Zone, until the end of the Battle Phase. They cannot attack your opponent directly, and if they attack a Defense Position monster, inflict piercing Battle Damage to your opponent. If a "Mechlord Emperor" monster you control attacks an opponent's Defense Position Synchro Monster, inflict piercing Battle Damage to your opponent.**

**Grannel Guard **

**EARTH**

**Level 1**

**Machine/Effect**

**500/1000**

**If you do not control a face-up "Mechlord Emperor" monster, destroy this card. When a monster you control is attacked, you can select a Synchro Monster equipped to a "Mechlord Emperor" you control: Treat it as a face-up Attack Position monster you control in the Spell & Trap Card Zone, until the end of the Damage Step, and change the attack target to it.**

**Grannel Carrier**

**EARTH**

**Level 1**

**Machine/Effect**

**700/700**

**If you do not control a face-up "Mechlord Emperor" monster, destroy this card. Once per turn, if a monster you control would be destroyed by battle, it is not destroyed.**

**Trident Warrior**

**LIGHT**

**Level 4**

**Warrior/Effect**

**1800/1200**

**When this card is Normal Summoned: You can Special Summon 1 Level 3 monster from your hand.**

**Claymore Mine (OCG: Widespread Ruin)**

**Trap**

**Activate only when your opponent declares an attack. Destroy the Attack Position monster your opponent controls with the highest ATK. (If it's a tie, you get to choose.)**

**Infinity Guard Formation**

**Trap**

**During this turn, negate the effects of all face-up Effect Monsters you control, and the activations of Spell/Trap Cards or Effect Monsters' effects that would destroy a card(s) on the field.**

**Attack Nullification (OCG: Negate Attack)**

**Trap**

**Activate only when a target opponent's monster declares an attack. Negate the attack and end the Battle Phase.**

**Return Damage**

**Trap**

**Activate only if you would take Battle Damage from a battle involving a monster you control. You take no Battle Damage. Inflict damage to your opponent equal to the Battle Damage you would have taken.**

**Infinity Conversion **

**Trap**

**Activate only when you have a "Mechlord Emperor" Monster face-up on the field. When your opponent activates a card effect that would inflict damage to a player, negate that card and destroy it. Select one "Mechlord Emperor" Monster face-up on the field. Increase the ATK of the selected Monsters by half the damage the player would have taken.**

**Bicorn Re'em**

**DARK**

**Level 4**

**Beast/Tuner/Effect**

**This card cannot be used as a Synchro Material Monster, except for the Synchro Summon of a Beast-Type Synchro Monster. If this card is sent to the Graveyard for a Synchro Summon, send the top 2 cards of your opponent's Deck to the Graveyard.**

**Rhinotaurus**

**FIRE**

**Level 4**

**Beast-Warrior/Effect**

**1800/600**

**If 2 or more of your opponent's monsters are destroyed by battle with your monsters during the same Battle Phase, this card can attack twice during that Battle Phase.**

**Attack Cannon **

**Trap**

**Activate only if a "Mechlord Emperor" monster you control attacks your opponent's monster, and that monster is still on the field at the end of the Damage Step. Send 1 face-up "Wisel", "Skiel", or "Grannel" "Attack" monster you control to the Graveyard to select 1 monster your opponent controls. Destroy that monster.**

**Trap Reactor****・****RR (OCG: Trap Reactor****・****Y FI)**

**DARK**

**Level Four **

**Machine/Effect**

**800/1800**

**Once per turn, when your opponent activates a Trap Card, you can destroy the Trap Card and inflict 800 damage to your opponent.**

**Infinite Spirit Machine**

**Permanent Trap**

**Whenever you take damage, place 1 Aura Counter on this card for each multiple of 100 points of damage you take.**

**Grannel Attack 3 (OCG: Granel Attack 3) **

**EARTH**

**Level 3**

**Machine/Effect**

**1800/0**

**If you do not control a face-up "Mechlord Emperor" monster, destroy this card. Once per turn, if a "Mechlord Emperor" monster you control destroys an opponent's Synchro Monster by battle, you can equip that monster to a face-up "Mechlord Emperor" monster you control. You can declare attacks with Synchro Monsters equipped to a "Mechlord Emperor" monster you control (but not direct attacks). In that case, the attacking Synchro Monster is treated as a face-up monster you control during the Battle Phase only (without counting toward your 5 Monster Card Zone limit). During battle between that attacking monster and a Defense Position monster whose DEF is lower than the ATK of the attacking monster, inflict piercing Battle Damage to your opponent**

**Skuld, Goddess of Aesir**

**LIGHT**

**Spellcaster/Synchro/Effect**

**Level 9**

**2800/3400**

**1 Nordic Beast Tuner + 1 "Valkyrie" Monster**

**Once per turn, you can look at the top 3 cards of your opponent's Deck and rearrange them.**

**Collected Power**

**Trap**

**Select 1 face-up monster on the field. Equip this monster with all face-up Equip Cards on the field. If the target of the Equip Card is not correct, destroy the Equip Card.**

**Infinite Mad Feast**

**Trap**

**Activate only during the turn a Synchro Monster(s) equipped to a "Mechlord Emperor" monster you control was sent to the Graveyard. Equip the sent Synchro Monster(s) to a face-up "Mechlord Emperor" monster(s) you control. Then, inflict 600 damage to your opponent for each time a Synchro Monster was equipped to a "Mechlord Emperor" monster you control this turn, and gain 600 Life Points.**

**Hidden Soldiers**

**Trap**

**Activate only when your opponent Normal Summons or Flip Summons a monster. Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower DARK monster from your hand.**

**Black Bomber (OCG: Black Salvo)**

**DARK**

**Level 3**

**Machine/Tuner/Effect**

**100/1100**

**When this card is Normal Summoned, you can select 1 Level 4 DARK Machine-Type monster from your Graveyard, and Special Summon it in face-up Defense Position. Its effect(s) is negated.**

**Summon Reactor****・****AI (OCG: Summon Reactor****・****SK)**

**DARK**

**Level 5**

**Machine/Effect**

**2000/1400**

**The first time a monster(s) is Summoned to your opponent's side of the field each turn, inflict 800 damage to your opponent. During the Battle Phase of the turn this effect is activated, you can negate the attack of 1 monster your opponent controls. **

**Delta Reactor**

**Trap**

**Send "Trap Reactor****・****RR", "Spell Reactor****・****AID" and "Summon Reactor****・****AI" you control to the Graveyard. Special Summon "Flying Fortress Giant Bomber Airraid" from your hand, Deck or Graveyard, ignoring the Summoning conditions.**

**Chariot Pile**

**Permanent Trap**

**Once per turn, during your Main Phase, you can inflict 800 damage to your opponent. Once per turn, if your opponent declares a direct attack, pay 800 Life Points to destroy the attacking monster.**

**Burial from a Different Dimension**

**Quick-Play Spell**

**Select up to 3 removed from play monsters, and return them to their owners' Graveyards.**

**D.D. Unicorn Knight **

**LIGHT**

**Level 4**

**Warrior/Effect**

**1800/900**

**This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card can only be Special Summoned if your opponent controls a monster(s) and you control a face-up Tuner monster(s). When this card is Special Summoned this way, you can select 1 of your removed from play Level 3 or lower non-Tuner monsters and Special Summon it. Its effect(s) are negated. You cannot Normal Summon or Set the turn you Special Summon this card.**

**Horn of the Phantom Beast**

**Trap**

**Target 1 Beast-Type or Beast-Warrior-Type monster you control; equip this card to that target. It gains 800 ATK. When that target destroys an opponent's monster by battle and sends it to the Graveyard: Draw 1 card.**

**Sealing Swords of Light (OCG: Swords of Revealing Light)**

**Spell**

**Flip all monsters your opponent controls face-up. This card remains on the field for 3 of your opponent's turns. While this card is face-up on the field, monsters your opponent controls cannot declare an attack.**

**École de Zone**

**Field Spell**

**Monsters cannot attack directly. When either player Normal Summons, Flip Summons, or Special Summons a Monster, Special Summon one "Mask Token" (Spellcaster-Type/DARK/Level 1/ATK ?/DEF ?) to the monster's controller's side of the field. The ATK and DEF of the "Mask Token" are equal to the respective ATK and DEF of the destroyed monster and all effects are transferred. When a "Mask Token" is destroyed, its respective owner receives damage equal to half its total ATK.**

**Night Rose Knight (OCG: Twilight Rose Knight)**

**DARK**

**Level 3**

**Warrior/Tuner/Effect**

**1000/1000**

**Your opponent cannot select a Plant-Type monster as an attack target. When this card is Normal Summoned, you can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower Plant-Type monster from your hand.**

**Violet Witch **

**DARK**

**Level 4**

**Spellcaster/Effect**

**1100/1200**

**When this card is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard, add 1 Plant-Type monster with 1500 or less DEF from your Deck to your hand.**

**Black Feather – Kochi the Daybreak (OCG: Blackwing – Kochi the Daybreak)**

**DARK**

**Level 4**

**Winged-Beast/Tuner/Effect**

**700/1500**

**This card cannot be used as a Synchro Material Monster in the turn it is Summoned.**

**Black Feather – Blast the Black Spear (OCG: Blackwing – Bora the Spear)**

**DARK**

**Level 4**

**Winged-Beast/Effect**

**1700/800**

**If you control a "Black Feather" monster other than "Black Feather - Blast the Black Spear", you can Special Summon this card from your hand. During battle between this attacking card and a Defense Position monster whose DEF is lower than the ATK of this card, inflict the difference as Battle Damage to your opponent.**

**Rose Blizzard**

**Trap**

**Activate only when a monster you control is selected as an attack target. Change the attacking monster to Defense Position and negate the attack.**

**Rose Tentacles **

**EARTH**

**Level 6**

**Plant/Effect**

**2200/1200**

**This card cannot be Special Summoned. At the beginning of your Battle Phase, this card gains 1 additional attack this turn for each face-up Plant-Type monster your opponent controls. Each time this card destroys a Plant-Type monster by battle, inflict 300 damage to your opponent.**

**Black Feather – Sirocco the Dawn (OCG: Blackwing – Sirocca the Dawn)**

**DARK**

**Level 5**

**Winged-Beast/Effect**

**2000/900**

**If your opponent controls a monster and you control no monsters, you can Normal Summon or Set this card without Tributes. Once per turn: You can target 1 face-up "Black Feather" monster you control; until the End Phase, it gains ATK equal to the total ATK of all face-up "Black Feather" monsters currently on the field, except itself. Monsters other than that target cannot attack during the turn you activate this effect.**

**Black Feather – Gale the Whirlwind (OCG: Blackwing – Gale the Whirlwind)**

**DARK**

**Level 3**

**Winged-Beast/Tuner/Effect**

**1300/400**

**If you control a "Black Feather" monster other than "Black Feather - Gale the Whirlwind", you can Special Summon this card from your hand. Once per turn, you can halve the ATK and DEF of 1 face-up monster your opponent controls.**

**Fleur de Vertige**

**Trap**

**Activate only when a monster is Special Summoned to your opponent's side of the field. Remove it from play.**

**Down Force**

**Counter Trap**

**Activate only when your opponent activates a card effect that would remove a face-up card from the field. Negate the effect of that card, and destroy it.**

**Nature's Reflection**

**Trap**

**During this turn, any effect activated by your opponent that would inflict damage becomes an effect that inflicts damage to their Life Points.**

**Black Feather Beacon**

**Trap**

**Activate only when you take damage from a battle or card effect. Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower "Black Feather" monster from your hand or Deck.**

**Black Feather – Shura the Blue Flame (OCG: Blackwing – Shura the Blue Flame)**

**DARK**

**Level 4**

**Winged-Beast/Effect**

**1800/1200**

**When this card destroys an opponent's monster by battle and sends it to the Graveyard, you can Special Summon 1 "Black Feather" monster with 1500 or less ATK from your Deck. That monster's effect (s) is negated.**

**Black Feather – Kogarashi the Wanderer (OCG: Blackwing – Kogarashi the Wanderer) **

**DARK**

**Level 6**

**Winged-Beast/Tuner/Effect**

**2300/1600**

**When a face-up "Black Feather" monster you control is destroyed by a card effect and sent to the Graveyard, you can Special Summon this card from your hand. When you Synchro Summon using this card as a Synchro Material Monster, your opponent cannot activate cards or effects.**

**Copied Imitation**

**Spell**

**Select 1 Token on the field. Special Summon 1 "Mask Token" with the same original Level, Type, Attribute, ATK, and DEF as the selected Token to your opponent's side of the field. Then, inflict damage to your opponent equal to half the ATK of the selected Token.**

**High Half**

**Trap**

**Select 1 face-up monster on the field with 2000 or more ATK. Halve its ATK.**

**Black Rose Dragon**

**FIRE**

**Level 7**

**Dragon/Synchro/Effect**

**2400/2800**

**1 Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner monsters**

**When this card is Special Summoned, you can destroy all cards on the field. Once per turn, you can remove from play 1 Plant-Type monster from your Graveyard and select 1 monster your opponent controls. Its ATK becomes 0 until the End Phase. (If the selected monster is in Defense Position, change it to Attack Position.)**

**Zone Reset**

**Trap**

**When one of your Monsters would be destroyed by a card effect, remove that Monster from the game along with any Equipment cards equipped to it. You can pay 1000 Life Points to Special Summon the Monster along with its equipped cards in the same position it was in before the effect activated in face-up Attack Mode.**

**Centaur Mina **

**LIGHT**

**Level 6**

**Beast-Warrior/Fusion/Effect**

**2200/1600**

**"Sacred Knight's Spearholder" + "Horse of the Floral Knights"**

**Once during each of your turns, you can negate the activation of an opponent's Trap Card, and return it to its original position.**

**Fusion Weapon**

**Equip Spell**

**Equip only to a Level 6 or lower Fusion Monster. The equipped monster gains 1500 ATK and DEF.**

**Z-ONE**

**Spell**

**When this card is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, you can select 1 card from your hand, Deck, or Graveyard, and remove it from play. Then, activate this card from your Graveyard and place it face-up on your side of the field with the same effect(s) as the removed card. If this card is placed on the field with this effect, it cannot be destroyed.**

**Cyclone (OCG: Mystical Space Typhoon)**

**Quick-Play Spell**

**Target 1 Spell/Trap Card on the field; destroy that target.**

**Labyrinth of Kline**

**Trap**

**Activate only when your opponent's monster declares an attack. Switch the original ATK and DEF of the attacking monster until the End Phase of the next turn. Until this turn's End Phase, you take no Battle Damage, and your monsters cannot be destroyed by battle.**

**Call of the Living Dead (OCG: Call of the Haunted)**

**Permanent Trap**

**Target 1 monster in your Graveyard; Special Summon that target in face-up Attack Position. When this card leaves the field, destroy that target. When that target is destroyed, destroy this card.**

**Thunder Unicorn**

**LIGHT**

**Level 5**

**Beast/Synchro/Effect**

**2200/1800**

**1 Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner monsters**

**Once per turn, during your Main Phase, you can select 1 face-up monster your opponent controls. It loses 500 ATK for each monster you control, except for "Thunder Unicorn", until the End Phase. During the turn this effect is activated, no other monsters can attack. When this card is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard, you can Special Summon it during that turn's Battle Phase in face-up Attack Position. If this card is Special Summoned this way, remove it from play at the end of the Battle Phase.**

**Land of Demise (OCG: Demise of the Land)**

**Quick-Play Spell**

**Activate this card when your opponent Special Summons a monster. Select 1 Field Spell Card from your Deck and activate it.**


	4. Sherry LeBlanc's Lost Will to Live

**Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's: The Ark Cradle Rewrite**

**Chapter 4: "Sherry LeBlanc and the Lost Will to Live"**

Kiryu looked around in disbelief as the distant buildings of Neo Domino City warped and altered their shape into something far more futuristic in appearance. The already heavily populated city seemed to grow ever more crowded, the streets now lined with citizens conversing with one another. Atop the vast highway system in the distance, cars filled the pathway as they headed for their various destinations.

As Kiryu and the other Duelists viewed their surroundings with confused expressions, Jose answered their questions in a gruff voice.

"You're about to witness the result of human evolution firsthand. Pay close attention."

"Where in the world are we?" Kiryu finally managed to ask out loud.

Breo eyed the horizon that seemed both familiar and diverse at the same time. "Is this still Neo Domino City?"

"I don't see Jean or Siegfried anywhere," Andre said as he noticed their missing bodies on the pavement behind them. "Or the Daedalus Bridge for that matter." The group noticed the monument built by Rex Goodwin was now missing, as well as quite a few sights home only to Neo Domino City.

Placido's expression was flat as he opened his mouth to explain their surroundings. "The events you are about to witness transpired in the year 2050, 20 years ahead of your current time period. While this may be a vision for you, these events are linked to our memories."

"What you're seeing now, however," Jose continued," is the memory of the Mechlord Emperors."

"Their memories?" Taro asked in a confused voice.

"How can cards have memories?" Breo waved his arm around sarcastically as he spoke.

Kiryu, on the other hand, was impartial to the discussion. "You guys wouldn't understand, but to people like Bomber and myself who were Dark Signers at one point, it's easy to believe."

Bomber grimly nodded. "The Mechlord Emperors have a certain radiance to them. Though they don't feel the same as the Earthbound Gods, their presence feels alive."

"That's half correct," Lucciano replied with his finger pointed into the air. "To be more precise, the Mechlord Emperors are incomplete androids; Artificial Humans."

"Androids?" In contrast to before, Kiryu's eyes now said he didn't believe what he was hearing. "I've never heard of such a thing!"

"It's technology even more advanced than what Z-one is capable of," Placido replied in his consistently flat tone, "simply because it came from a period even further into the future than our own ruined future."

As Placido spoke, a black hole tore open the blue sky far in the distance. Mechlord Emperors, looking exactly the same as Wisel, Skiel, and Grannel, began pouring out from the vortex in drones. The busy lives of the people below came to a screeching halt when they witnessed this.

"Those things look exactly like the Mechlord Emperors!" Taro shouted, eyeing the metallic creatures in front of the Emperors.

"This was the day it all began," Jose mumbled in a low voice. "A peaceful day was shattered when a massive army showed up without warning and began tearing the city asunder."

The group fell silent as screams suddenly filled the air, accompanied by a series of explosions. The Mechlord Emperors in the sky began to destroy the buildings and the people around them. The machine monsters set their sights on every living being, not prejudiced toward woman and children. In fact, one would say they were entirely selective in who they were targeting.

Breo's eyes were filled with disgust as he and the others witnessed the events unfolding below them. "What destruction…! Who would do something like this?!"

"This isn't Neo Domino City, right?" Andre asked as he turned his head back toward the Emperors. "Where are we right now?"

"You are currently seeing the end of the Third World War that began in Germany and ended in Germany," Placido responded in a chilling voice.

"Third World War?!" Breo couldn't believe his ears.

Taro covered his mouth with his sweaty palms as he felt his stomach churn at the terror. "This can't really happen!"

"This is all true," Lucciano reassured him. "World War III began in Germany in the year 2040, ten years from now. While these events were occurring, Neo Domino City was currently holding one of the most prestigious Riding Duel tournaments. How these two events are linked, even we aren't aware."

Just as Lucciano finished his sentence, a new series of explosions went off. Stepping out from the smoke was a group of several individuals. Kiryu and the others couldn't make out the identities of the people due to the smoke and the distance placed in between them. The group was standing atop one of the largest buildings several feet away from their current location.

"Who are they?!" Kiryu asked as he squinted his eyes to try and affirm their identities.

"They are the ones responsible for the war," said Jose, "an organization that took it upon themselves to challenge Yliaster, as foolish a notion as it was. This, as you can clearly see, is the result. When left to their own ridiculous ideals, human beings create nothing but destruction and death. The more advanced your technology becomes, the more corrupt your people will become."

The leader of the group, whose identity was still concealed through the smoke, began to address the frightened people trembling on the ground below him. "Those who are pure of heart have nothing to fear from us! We are here to cleanse this world of evil! It's been a long ten years of endless war, but I announce today that the armies of the world have finally succumbed to our might! What happens next will be determined by all of you, the citizens of this world! Are you worthy of becoming citizens of New Earth? The Mechlord Emperors shall be the judge of that!"

The man's eerie laugh began to fade along with the current surroundings. Kiryu felt his head spin as everything warped and restructured around him. By the time he realized what had happened, he was standing in front of the Daedalus Bridge in Neo Domino City once more. The unconscious Jean and Siegfried were also returned. "We're back! What's happening?"

"The Mechlord Emperors decided to end the vision there," Lucciano replied, his lips still forming a gloomy frown. "From now on in this Duel, you will unlock a new piece of the puzzle on every one of my turns."

Kiryu began to sweat as he tried to shake off the emotions still stirring in his chest. "Even assuming that vision was really what will happen in the future, what exactly do you expect us to do about it?"

"Absolutely nothing," Placido said, a wicked gleam flashing in his eyes. "All you citizens of Neo Domino City need to do is disappear from this planet! That is our aim!"

Taro gulped in fear as he felt a chill crawl up his spine. "I got myself involved in something beyond my comprehension…"

"You said that happened in Germany, didn't you?" Andre asked in a raised voice. "Why are you targeting Neo Domino City if that's the case?"

Jose narrowed his eyes. "While it's true the Germans started the war, it was the Momentum they stole from Neo Domino City that allowed them to prosper as they did. And it was Synchro Monsters that led the Momentum to go out of control. Yliaster has come to a decision that Neo Domino City is the true root of this evil and that is why you will be eliminated."

"Not if we can help it!" Kiryu took a step forward, as if to reaffirm his control over the battlefield.

A distorted grin returned to Lucciano's face as he began laughing at Kiryu's attempt at reassurance. "No, you don't stand a chance against us now. As long as the Field Magic, Mechlord Imperial Castle, remains on the field, our Mechlord Emperors can't be targeted by the effects of your Synchro Monsters! In other words, you won't pull off another miracle like before!" Lucciano released a cackle from his throat as he threw his head back.

**Kiryu:**

**LP – 2200**

**Hand: **2

**Field: **0

**Bomber:**

**LP – 2200**

**Hand: **0

**Field: **Giant Bomber Airraid [LV8/3000/2500] [Attack Mode],

**Andre:**

**LP – 2200**

**Hand: **1

**Field: **Thunder Unicorn [LV5/2200/1800] [Attack Mode], Call of the Living Dead [Equipped to Thunder Unicorn]

**Breo:**

**LP – 2200**

**Hand: **0

**Field: **Bicorn Re'em [ATK, 800] [Defense Mode], D.D. Unicorn Knight [LV4/1800/900] [Attack Mode], Two set cards

**Taro:**

**LP – 1400**

**Hand: **1

**Field: **Holding Hands Majin [LV4/1000/4800] [Defense Mode], Key Mace [LV1/400/300] [Defense Mode], Kageningen [LV2/800/600] [Defense Mode], Different Dimension Trainer [LV1/100/2000] [Defense Mode], Fungi the Musk [LV1/400/300] [Defense Mode], Sealing Swords of Light (2 Turns left), 3 set cards

**Placido**

**LP – 3200**

**Hand: **0

**Field: **Mechlord Emperor Wisel [LV1/ 800/2500] [ATK] (Absorbed Lightning Tricorn), Wisel Top [LV1/500/0] [ATK], Wisel Attack 3 [LV3/1600/0] [ATK], and Wisel Carrier [LV1/800/600] [ATK], two set cards

**Lucciano:**

**LP – 3200**

**Hand: **1

**Field: **Mechlord Emperor Skiel [LV1/4700/2200] [ATK], Skiel Top [LV1/600/0] [ATK], Skiel Attack [LV1/1000/0] [ATK], Skiel Guard [LV1/200/300] [ATK], and Skiel Carrier [LV1/400/0] [ATK], 3 set cards

**Jose:**

**LP – 2800**

**Hand: **2

**Field: **Infinite Spirit Machine (34 Aura Counters), one set card

Placido cast his gaze on Andre, who was still in the middle of his turn. "Are you through with your turn or not, Andre?"

"Shut up! Turn end!" Andre waved his arm in frustration as he entered his End Phase.

Placido scoffed, a grin returning to his face. "During your End Phase, the effect of Thunder Unicorn resides and Wisel's Attack Power returns to normal!"

**[Wisel's ATK: 800 - 5300]**

"Now that Mechlord Imperial Castle is on the field, you won't be using that effect against us again!"

Andre gritted his teeth, knowing what he said was true.

Beside Andre, Breo placed his hand on his deck as he entered his turn. "My turn! Draw!"

**[Breo's LP: 2200]**

"I start by setting one card face-down. Then I switch Bicorn Re'em into Attack Mode!"

**[Bicorn Re'em: LV4/800/1600]**

Breo looked over to Jose, immediately taking notice of his nearly empty field. Jose still had two set cards on the field, but he knew he couldn't afford to waste time worrying over such things. "Even if you're safe from our Synchro Monsters effects, that won't change the fact that you're now wide open! Go, Different Dimension Unicorn Knight! Attack Jose directly! Dimension Slasher!"

The unicorn creature dashed forward, unleashing a mighty roar as it sent a ray of light raining down on Jose's field from the immense horn on its forehead. Jose grunted as the ray smashed against his body.

**[Jose's LP: 2800 - 1000] **

**[Infinite Spirit Machine - Aura Counters: 34 - 52]**

Looking pleased with his successful attack, Breo continued with a second strike. "Go, Bicorn Re'em! Needle Lance!"

The orange-furred tiger shot an array of pin-needles from its mighty horn, this time making bull's-eye as it landed a shot on Jose's metallic chest-plate.

**[Jose's LP: 1000 - 200] **

**[Infinite Spirit Machine - Aura Counters: 52 - 60]**

As Breo's friends complimented his success, he couldn't help but feel suspicious of Jose, despite his overwhelming advantage. The fact that he didn't activate his two set cards, while on one hand a relief, was also a red flag for concern. However, Breo considered the possibility they were cards unable to protect him against Direct Attacks, as many cards are only able to stop Monsters from being attacked. Breo was no fool, however, and he noted the fact that Infinite Spirit Machine was collecting a large amount of counters from their consecutive attacks. Either way, he thought to himself, their leader would be defeated with just one more attack. Defeating their leader would surely damage their morale, increasing their advantage even more. As Breo thought this, he clutched his fist at his side by reflex, vowing to do the same to Jose what they did to Jean.

While Taro continued to praise Breo, Kiryu and Bomber silently felt Breo got off too easily with those attacks. Next to Breo, Andre felt the same, but said nothing.

"I end my turn!" Breo announced, waving his hand to confirm his actions.

"It's my turn!" Taro glanced at the card he just drew and inserted it into the slot on his Duel Disk for Spells and Traps. "I set a card and end my turn."

**[Taro's LP: 1400]**

Placido growled as Taro took no action. "Tch, this is going nowhere! My turn!"

**[Placido's LP: 3200]**

Placido glanced at his card and added it to his hand. He then inserted a Monster Card from his hand into his Monster Zone. "I Summon Wisel Guard 3 in Defense Mode! Turn end!"

"My turn!" Lucciano announced as he drew a card.

**[Lucciano's LP: 3200]**

As Lucciano grew serious once again, the entire field began to shift and transform once more. This time the group found themselves in a futuristic Neo Domino City, notably tattered and destroyed. Just like in the previous vision, a swarm of Mechlord Emperors were attacking Neo Domino City, just as they had Germany.

"It's the same as the last vision we saw," Bomber thought out loud. "But this is definitely a futuristic Neo Domino City…"

Andre felt a sudden wave of tension consume him. "You don't think they could fabricate something like this, do you?"

The group watched in grim silence as skyscrapers around them were reduced to fiery rubble. Not far from the destroyed buildings, a young red-haired boy ran with his family. A man and a woman were carrying luggage and pulling the boy along with them.

Lucciano's face fell flat as he watched the familiar scene. "These are my memories in this era."

The Duelists gasped as a Grannel look-alike nearby shot down the mother and father with a beam of light. Young Aporia was thrown to the side and trapped by fallen rubble. He slowly pulled himself up as he called out for his parents. Young Aporia came to the shocking realization that a giant hole now fell in place where his parents once stood. The boy grabbed his head and screamed in agonizing horror, losing all sense of reality. He was completely oblivious to the Grannel Mechlord attacking him from behind. The boy was blown forward, screaming in pain as his scalp was burned by the beam. As blood poured onto the pavement below, his hair began to fade in color, the roots now dead from the laser beam.

"This is horrible..." Despite the Emperors being their enemies, Taro couldn't help but sympathize with their experience.

"The Mechlord Emperors are one with us in mind and spirit," Lucciano quietly explained. "They've decided to show you our, Aporia's, memories."

As he said that, the vision blurred and fast forwarded years into the future, Aporia now a young man with spiky, colorless hair.

"These are my memories in this era," Placido pointed out to the group.

Aporia stood next to an attractive woman with black hair. The two were dressed in armor, wielding weapons and shields. They were obviously attempting to battle against the Mechlords. The young woman smiled over at Aporia, who returned the smile. The two stood in the middle of a shattered building, where they looked down at a passing Grannel Mechlord Emperor unit. They began firing laser beams and rockets at the machine creature, believing they earned themselves a victory. Just as they two offered each other victorious smiles, a beam of light shattered the floor they were standing on.

Aporia was sent flying across the room, rolling several feet away from the sound of the crash. By the time he came to, he came to the shocking realization that the black haired woman had been eradicated along with the entire floor below him. All that remained of her was a half-melted laser gun. Aporia clenched his fist against his chest in frustration and began to scream at the top of his lungs. When the Grannel unit appeared before him once again, Aporia snapped and began firing at it without limit. Before the Grannel unit had time to react, its armor was penetrated, its inner core damaged from the assault. The result was a massive explosion that once again hurled Aporia through the air. He managed to stop himself before he fell through the hole in the floor.

Aporia began weeping, despite his victory over the Grannel unit. He slammed his fist down hard on the pavement floor, paying no mind to the pain that shot up his wrist. "Why?! What have we done to deserve this massacre?!" As if he were addressing someone in the smoky sky above, he turned his gaze upward to the red clouds. "If there's a god up there, answer me! What gives you the right to cast judgment on us like this?! What gives you the right to take away those I love?!"

Aporia's cries were drowned out by sinister laughter coming from behind him. He snapped his head toward the source of the laugher, a tall, muscular man standing atop the burnt metal frame just feet above. The man had maroon-colored peach-fuzz hair that was nearly entirely shaved off his rough-looking scalp. His narrow eyes were deep red in color and sent a wave of terror shooting through Aporia. His body was notably machine in nature, only leaving his neck and head untouched by metal plates.

"Don't you understand, you damn fool?" the man asked through his snickers. "It was you idiots that brought this upon yourselves!"

"Who the hell are you?!" Without waiting for the man to respond, Aporia shot a round of laser shots in his direction. Before Aporia realized what happened, the man was standing behind him, having yanked his gun right out of his helpless hands.

"Human beings are such arrogant creatures, don't you think?" the man whispered darkly into Aporia's ear. "Living their greedy lives, believing the sun will rise the next day." The man let out a horrid laugh, his hot breath washing over the side of Aporia's face, freezing him in his tracks. "I especially love rich cities like this one! So many people take for granted their good fortune. When they see images of unfortunate countries around the world, they can't help but think, 'There's no way that will ever happen to me!'"

Aporia snapped out of his trance and growled fiercely, lunging his upward toward the man's face. Despite his best efforts, the man caught Aporia's fist without breaking a sweat. With one light movement, he broke Aporia's arm and left him screaming in agony on the ground at his feet.

Aporia managed to glare up at the man with hatred in his tear-soaked eyes through his grunts and screams. "What makes what you're doing right now any better?! Even if we are arrogant and ignorant to our own good fortune, what's wrong with that?! You have no right to talk down to me like I'm inferior!"

The man's grin widened as he stared down into his eyes. "To be honest, I don't understand what that damn Kappler's thinking myself." The man stomped on the arm he just broke, invoking a whole new level of pain through Aporia's senses. "But none of that makes a damn bit of difference to me! I'm only in this for the kicks! You see, to me war is my personal playground!"

The man's laugher rang through Aporia's ears. Despite the intense pain engulfing his nervous system, the rage now consuming his soul caused him to forget all about it. Aporia's eyes went bloodshot red as he mustered enough strength to throw the man off his shattered arm. "Playground?! You took the life of my fiancé for such a despicable reason?! Don't screw with me!"

The man gasped as Aporia pulled a grenade out of his side belt and tossed it in the air in one swift flick of his wrist. Using his feet, he managed to propel himself backwards, tumbling over a broken pillar sticking out of the nearby wall. He landed hard on his shoulder, but managed to clear enough space and shield himself from the ensuing explosion.

After the explosion, Aporia sat for a few minutes in silence as he caught his breath. Through pants, he pulled himself up just enough to see beyond the pillar. He saw nothing once the smoke cleared, leading him into a state of confusion. As he desperately tried to search for his enemy, he heard a pair of army boots clank against the exposed metal frame of the building directly behind him. Aporia gasped in horror when he saw the man standing behind him with the only apparent damage being his now torn outfit.

"I happened to like that outfit, you know," the man said, angrily dusting off his shoulders. "Now I'm in shambles!"

Before Aporia could manage to get away, the man was already grasping him tightly by the neck. Aporia's feet were now dangling above the ground as he gasped for air. "However do you intend to pay me back? Oh, I know! Maybe your _life_ will do!" With that, the man began crushing Aporia's throat, sucking what little air remained in his lungs right out of him in the process. Aporia's eyes began to go blood red as the man laughed with glee.

"Weak, far too weak! To think you'd die from something as me effortlessly squeezing my hand! Kappler's wrong! There isn't a single person worthy enough to live in New Earth! The weak must be removed from the face of this planet! By my own hands!"

Aporia's entire world began to shut down. He could feel the little life remaining in him draining away. Just as he thought for sure this destroyed building would become his tomb, the situation changed drastically. The man looked around in confusion when the air around the two began to distort, forming what appeared to be a wave of negative space. The man became frozen, and his grip on Aporia loosened. Aporia fell to the ground as he violently struggled to get air back into his nearly crushed throat. A trail of saliva trickled down his lips as he began hacking and coughing.

"What the hell is happening?!" the man cried frantically. "Why can't I move?!"

"Your hypocrisy sickens me." Aporia looked up as he heard a cold voice echo from the other side of the room. Loud footsteps were heard as a shadow approached the two.

"Who the hell are you?!" the man asked in a shriek, his eyes twitching with frustration.

A young man with long, yellow hair and purple streaks stepped into full view, pale and expressionless. He had strange markings near his eyes. "My name is Paradox. I've come to put an end to your little charade."

Paradox walked over to the fallen Aporia and extended his hand, still emotionless. "It'll be okay. I'm on your side."

"Th…Thank you," Aporia managed as the strange helped him get back to his feet.

The android man raised an eyebrow as he eyed the stranger. "Paradox? What a ridiculous name! What the hell have you done to me?!"

Paradox returned the man's gaze with a humorless smirk. "My parents named me that because of the strange events that happened upon my birth." He let out a small chuckle as he continued, shrugging nonchalantly. "That aside, you're now within a void I created. It's still only in beta form, but it seems to work well against your kind, whatever you are."

"Void? What in the hell are you going on about?"

"In this void, everything is negated. It defies the very fabric of reality. For instance, that superhuman strength you appear to possess doesn't exist inside this world if I don't permit it to. Moreover, if I deem you unable to move, the muscles in your body will heed to my orders. I call it Sin World."

The man managed to force a smirk. "Heh, what an absurd ability. You better prey I don't get free from here."

Just as the man finished speaking, the black space shattered, allowing him to move once again.

Paradox's eyes widened as he stared in disbelief. "Wh-What?! What happened?!"

The group was joined by another man wearing a black trench coat. He had short, black hair that stopped just under his ears. He had a large scar across his left eye. He was carrying a labop in his arms, which he typed viciously on as he walked. He wore a confident smile as he stepped into view. "I was wondering what you were up to, scientist."

The black-haired man turned toward his metallic companion, greeting him with a roll of his eyes. "How pathetic, Fynn Hartmann. Just imagine where you would be if I hadn't come strolling by."

"Hmph, why if it isn't Yukio Kyoji," the android man named Fynn scoffed. "Come to brag about your superior computer skills again?"

The man named Yukio looked away in amusement. "Please. This was child's play to me." He then turned toward the dumbfounded Paradox with a cocky grin. "Paradox, was it? I suggest you update your security. Weak firewalls like this won't stop someone of my skill from cracking your program and disabling it."

"Y-You disabled _my_ program?! Impossible!" Despite Yukio's taunting, Paradox knew his security was top notch. Not even the most skilled hacker could crack it, and yet this man somehow managed to.

Yukio turned back to Fynn as he smile faded. "So, what are you doing all the way out here, Hartmann? Alf Kappler ordered the extermination of those with wicked hearts, did he not? These two may be foolish, but the Mechlord Emperors do not sense any particular malice from them."

"Mind your own damn business. Don't expect me to thank your sorry ass." Fynn cracked his neck and straightened his crouched body. He began to grin once again as he eyed Aporia and Paradox with bloodlust in his eyes. "Now, let's finish were we started."

A third man with dark skin and massive arms appeared out of nowhere, grabbing Fynn's arm. Fynn felt his arm yanked as he turned to look at the muscular man with long hair tied into a ponytail.

"Jafar! What the hell are you doing here?! This isn't even your jurisdiction! Go back to the Middle East where you belong!"

The man called Jafar only tightened his grip in response. "I just happened to be passing by the area. You've been killing potential members of New Earth again, haven't you?"

Fynn merely scoffed and averted his gaze.

Jafar frowned and used all his strength to pull Fynn's body toward him as he began walking away. "Let's get out of here. You have a mission to complete."

Yukio looked over at Jafar's back and addressed the younger man. "Did you locate the two you were searching for, Jafar?"

Jafar stopped and answered without turning around. "Not yet. This is their hometown, but I haven't found them. Perhaps they've already been killed in the assault. I'm getting ready to move onto the next jurisdiction."

Aporia pulled himself forward, using his working arm to point his gun in their direction. "W-Wait! I'm not done with you people yet!"

Paradox pulled him back, blocking him with his arm. "Stop, you fool! It pains me to admit it, but we're no match against them in our current state." Paradox suppressed his anger and lowered his brow in frustration. "Endure it and have patience! Staying alive is our top priority right now!"

Aporia grit his teeth hard enough to draw blood, realizing what Paradox said was the truth. He could only watch their enemies walk away, knowing they could have killed them if they wanted to.

Fynn pushed Jafar's arm away and took one last look at the two men. "Remember my face, you bastards! My name is Fynn Hartmann! The life of every citizen in this city belongs to me! Don't you forget it!"

The three men vanished from their sight, taking the remaining Mechlord Emperors with them. Aporia screamed bloody murder and slammed his uninjured fist against the hard ground multiple times. Paradox remained silent until Aporia's screaming subsided, when he then reached out his hand to help him to his feet.

"What is your name, fellow survivor?"

"It's Aporia. You're Paradox, right? Why did you let them get away?"

Paradox looked away from the man, not liking the choice he had to make any more than he did. "Aporia, attacking them right now is suicide. If you want to get back at them, join me on my quest to find fellow survivors. I'm still not perfect, but I'm improving my technology." Saying this, Paradox turned back to look into Aporia's eyes once again. "One of these days, I will develop a way for us to counter the enemy. Dying here means our enemies have won."

Saying nothing more, Aporia nodded.

**BREAK**

In the present, Kiryu and the other Duelists were returned to the present time. They witnessed the entire vision play out in silence, and the events they witnessed were stirring up various emotions deep inside them.

Placido silently looked at the ground, feeling old unpleasant memories return. "Corruption. Hypocrisy. Lust. Power. You humans represent all that is bad in this world." Looking up, Placido's eyes were filled with hate and rage. "Despite that, humanity can still be saved from their sins at the cost of _your_ lives!"

"If you truly feel that way," Kiryu interrupted, "why are you doing the same thing as them?!"

Lucciano protested. "Our killing has purpose! We-"

Jose held out his arm to stop Lucciano, shaking his head. "Stop, Lucciano. You have no obligation to answer them."

Lucciano gritted his teeth in silence as he looked at the card he drew at the start of his turn, signaling the Duel would continue. The other Duelists regained their focus.

"I activate the Magic Card, Double Cyclone, from my hand! I destroy my set Convert Ghost and your Sealing Swords of Light!"

"What?!" Taro gasped in shock as a massive tornado blew over his field and shattered the Magic Card on his field.

Lucciano laughed at his expression. "Did you think your puny barrier would last for three full turns?!"

Taro grimaced as the weight of the situation overpowered him. A drop of sweat slowly trickled down the side of his cheek.

"Now I'm free to attack! And I'm starting with Breo's weak Bicorn Re'em he placed in Attack Mode!" The red-headed android raised an eyebrow mockingly as his grin widened. "Your obvious traps won't work against me! Go, Mechlord Emperor Skiel!"

Breo smirked in response. "I activate my Trap Card, Urgent Tuning! This lets me Synchro Summon during the Battle Phase! I'm Tuning my Level Four Different Dimension Unicorn Knight with my Level Four Bicorn Re'em!"

**(4+4=8)**

"Galloping in the heavens like thunder, going through the pitch black sky,this lightning will strike the Earth and incinerate it! Synchro Summon! Shine, Lightning Tricorn!"

**[Lightning Tricorn: LV8/2800/2200]**

Lucciano began laughing obnoxiously as he waved his arms through the air. "Even if you managed to waste my attack this turn, you've just provided my Skiel with more food! Go! Absorb Lightning Tricorn!"

Breo twitched as the gold-armored three-horned beast he just brought out was quickly absorbed into Skiel's body.

**[Skiel's ATK: 4700 - 7500]**

**[Wisel's ATK: 5300 - 12800]**

Just as Breo felt depressed, he heard Taro's voice. "Trap Card, open! Fool's Dice!"

Lucciano raised an eyebrow in surprise as he turned toward Taro. "When one of my opponent's Monsters is removed from the field, I discard a Level Two or lower Monster from my hand to inflict damage to my enemies for the Monster's level times 200!"

Lucciano's smile faded. "What?!"

Kiryu looked more than pleased with the counter. "Great move! With only 200 Life Points remaining, Jose will be taken out!"

"Tricorn Unicorn is a Level Eight Monster," Taro went on. "That means the three of you take 1600 points of damage!"

Just as Lucciano began to panic, Jose mocked his efforts with a click of his tongue. "Petty trick! I activate the Trap Card, Infinite Absorption! This card sends Infinite Spirit Particle to the Graveyard and increases our Life Points by 100 for each Aura Counter placed on the card!"

Taro's enthusiasm left him and a gasp escaped his throat.

**[Jose's LP: 200 - 6400]**

**[Placido's LP: 3200 - 9400]**

**[Lucciano's LP: 3200 - 9400]**

"Dammit!" Bomber shouted, slamming his fist against his other arm.

Despite his shock, Taro managed to regain his composure. "E-Even so, the damage is still applied!"

**[Placido's LP: 9400 - 7800]**

**[Lucciano's LP: 9400 - 7800]**

**[Jose's LP: 6400 - 4800]**

Jose laughed at his trembling. "Hmph, wasted effort. Can't you do any better than this? Even for humans, this is incredibly disappointing."

Lucciano's grin returned as he realized he was worrying for nothing. "I end my turn!"

"My turn!" Jose shouted while he drew a card from his deck.

**[Jose's LP: 4800]**

As Jose stared at the card he just drew, his eyes widened, becoming far more sinister. He began to chuckle as he added to the card into his hand. "You people should feel honored. I'm about to Summon a card even Team 5D's didn't get a chance to fight against."

"What?" Breo asked by reflex. "A card Team 5D's didn't fight against? What are you talking about?"

"Behold. The Mechlord Emperor too powerful for even us to control! When I have at least five Mechlord Emperor cards in my Graveyard, I can Special Summon Mechlord Emperor Infinity in Attack Mode!"

The Duelists took a step back as a new metallic creature rose from the ground, this one a dark grey in color. Unlike the other Mechlord Emperors, this creature's armor was worn out and tattered.

**[Mechlord Emperor Infinity: LV8/0/2000]**

"It's got zero Attack Points," Taro pointed out in a hush whisper.

"What is this feeling," Kiryu pondered aloud, feeling a wave of indescribable pressure was over him. " It feels unstable…"

Bomber began to sweat as he felt the same. "It's like a giant mass of insanity gathered into one body…"

Placido laughed at their reactions. "Being former Dark Signers, it's not surprising that you can feel this energy. This creature is the result of an experiment conducted during the Third World War that went terribly wrong. A certain individual created this being only to fall victim to his own creation. After devouring its own creator, Infinity went on a rampage and killed thousands of soldiers on both sides of the war. What you're feeling is the intense emotions of insanity and desperation Infinity absorbed while it devoured its victims limb from limb."

Lucciano began cackling uncontrollably. "To be honest, even we don't know what will happen now that it's out on the field!"

Jose continued with his turn as he glared daggers into the group. "Mechlord Emperor Infinity's effect allows me to equip a Mechlord Emperor card from my hand to it once per turn and increase its Attack Power by the total Attack and Defense Points of the equipped card. I equip Grannel Top 5 to Mechlord Emperor Infinity!"

**[Mechlord Emperor Infinity's ATK: 0 - 2500]**

"And of course, Mechlord Emperor Infinity is also capable of absorbing one Synchro Monster on the field! Your Thunder Unicorn will become victim to its insanity!"

Andre could only grit his teeth as his unicorn was devoured by the fourth Mechlord Emperor.

**[Mechlord Emperor Infinity's ATK: 2500 - 4700]**

"Damn them…"

"I then activate Infinity's second effect! By Banishing a card from my Graveyard once per turn, I can destroy one card on the field! I Banish Infinity Wall in my Graveyard to destroy Breo's set card on the field!" Jose chuckled as both his Graveyard and the field lit up as Breo's set card was forced face-up on the field. It slowly began to dissolve. "Now I see. Compliance, huh? You were planning to activate this Trap Card when one of our Mechlord Emperors increased their Attack Power during the Battle Phase. By doing so, one Monster on the field would gain Attack Power equal to the difference of gained points. Clever, but I'm afraid such trickery won't work against me."

Breo began to sweat profusely as Jose eyed his open field like a hungry tiger.

"You're now wide open! Go, Mechlord Emperor Infinity! Attack Breo directly! Infinite Desperation!"

"Breo!" Andre shouted, showing concern for his friend.

"Trap Card, activate!" Breo shouted, flipping up the final card he had on the field. "Damage Lance! When an attacking Monster holding 2000 or more Attack Power attacks directly, this card decreases their Attack by 1000 points during the Damage Calculation! In addition to that, the controlling player takes 1000 points of damage!"

**[Mechlord Emperor Infinity's ATK: 4700 - 3700]**

**[Jose's LP: 4800 - 3800]**

"Even so, it still isn't enough! Now join your fallen comrades!"

The Duelists watched in horror as Infinity sent a black laser beam through Breo's chest, forcing him to his knees. Blood trickled down his chin as the damage became real due to the Yliaster crest on the field.

**[Breo's LP: 2200 - 0]**

"Shit!" Kiryu shouted in rage.

Bomber looked away in anger.

Taro could only watch in horror, unable to say anything.

"Breo! Breo!" Andre shouted as he ran over to his fallen comrade. "Goddammit!"

Andre looked up and gasped as Infinity was now inches away from the two. Its eyes glowed red and it released a low growl from its metallic mouth.

"That's enough, Infinity!" Jose shouted. "If you have the time to desecrate the corpses of our enemies, use that time to prepare for the next attack!"

Infinity turned and stared Jose down for several seconds before it finally returned in front of him on the field.

Lucciano roared with laughter now, feeling the intensity even from his position. "Scary, scary!"

"This is bad," Placido acknowledged out loud. "We have to end this match quickly before Infinity goes on another rampage."

"I end my turn!" Jose declared with a flick of his wrist.

Kiryu immediately entered into his turn, drawing a card from his deck. "It's my turn!"

**[Kiryu's LP: 2200]**

Kiryu silently looked over to where Andre kneeled over Breo's body and could clearly see him losing his cool. As he looked at the card he just drew, he realized they needed to end this match as soon as possible before things get out of hand.

"I set one card and end my turn!"

**BREAK**

**Ark Cradle: First Planetary Gear (Guarded by Sherry LeBlanc)**

Crow and Sherry felt their necks tighten as two skeletal figures squeezed their throats with their boney hands. Though they could still move freely, no amount of struggling would shake off the beings.

"The three of us have now made a pact with the God of Death," Sherry explained as she herself was bound to the massive gate behind her by a larger, fiercer robbed skeleton. A scythe was positioned toward her gut. "When our Life Points drop to zero, the Grim Reaper will cut out our chests and drag our souls into the underworld!"

"This feeling…!" Aki choked out. "It feels like my life could be ripped from me any moment…"

Crow stared right into Sherry's eyes. "What the hell is with this card?!"

Sherry returned his gaze with a sinister smirk. "The card is merely a key that unlocks the Gate of the Underworld. The beings behind you are guardians of the gate, loyal minions of the King of the Underworld."

"King of the Underworld? That giant thing Goodwin unleashed?"

"Wait, Sherry," Aki cut in, ignoring the grip on her neck. "Why are you being so crude? You weren't the kind of person who would set up such a cowardly Duel before! So why?!"

Sherry's expression grew more serious as she proceeded to answer Aki. "I came here in order to get my cherished family back!"

"To get your family back?!" Crow repeated, unsure of what she meant.

"What do you mean by that?" Aki asked. "What was the wish you asked Z-one to grant?"

Sherry narrowed her eyes. "My wish was..."

Sherry thought back to the conversation she had with Z-one immediately after he showed her the ruined future.

"_Using my powers, it is possible to manipulate the past," _Z-one previously said.

"_Is that true?_" Sherry had asked.

"_It is."_

"_If that's the case, I will aid you in your plan. In exchange, I want you to promise me that you'll grant my wish."_

"_If you wish me to do so, you will have to oppose Yusei Fudo."_

At that moment, Sherry recalled feeling a moment of hesitation as Z-one stared her down. After thinking for a moment, Sherry hardened her expression.

"_That's fine by me," _she had said. _"I have made up my mind."_

"_In that case, Sherry, I will grant you power."_

As Z-one spoke, a giant Duel Monsters card formed out of thin air, as if it were created by Z-one's own will. Sherry turned to view the card, reading the kanji written in for the name in the top bar.

"_The Soul-Binding Gate…?"_

"_You are only to use this as a last resort. And only if you are willing to risk your own life."_

Z-one's final words to her echoed in her mind as Sherry once again hardened her resolve. "I am going to defeat you both right here! Once I do, Z-one will use his powers to change my past! That way I can once again live in happiness with my family!"

"Sherry..." Crow felt a moment of sorrow before he began shouting at his former friend. "You're going to destroy Neo Domino City just to get your family back?!"

"I have no hope for the future whatsoever!" Saying this, Sherry averted her gaze and looked at the ground sadly. "So at the very least... I want to take my happy past back!" Visions of her life with her parents flashed before her eyes. Visions of her as a little girl embracing her father happily.

Crow and Aki could only look away in frustration as they knew nothing they said would snap her out of it now.

The Grim Reaper holding Sherry's body laughed as dark, black energy began to pour out of Sherry's body. Her sad eyes morphed into something wicked, her lips curling into a devious smile.

"Sherry," Crow called out in a desperate voice. "You're willing to put your own life on the line to get your past back?!"

"Sherry…" Aki mumbled quietly.

Sherry's grin faded as she returned to her senses. "Be quiet. We're in the middle of a Duel!"

**[Sherry's LP: 3000]**

Crow frowned as began to focus on the Duel once again.

**[Crow's LP: 650]**

"It's your turn, Aki Izayoi."

Crow turned to look at Aki, who grew more serious as she recalled the fact that she was still in the middle of her turn.

**[Aki's LP: 250]**

Aki analyzed her and Crow's current Life Point status, realizing it was of the utmost importance that they find a way to increase their Life Points. As they were now, they could be wiped out with a single strike if they didn't proceed cautiously. "I Summon Phoenixian Seed in Defense Mode."

A small red-colored plant with a giant eye in the center of its body appeared by Aki's feet. It had blood-red leaves sticking out of the top of its body.

**[Phoenixian Seed: LV2/800/0]**

"I end my turn." Aki looked over to Crow and nodded to him. As if he could read her mind, he affirmed her mental plead with a nod of his own.

"My turn! Draw! I activate the Magic Card Black Feather Spell! By discarding one card from my hand, me and Aki gain 300 Life Points for each Black Feather in my Graveyard! I have six, so that's 1800 points!"

**[Crow's LP: 650 - 2450]**

**[Aki's LP: 250 - 2050]**

Sherry appeared disappointed by Crow's move at first, but her disappointment quickly disappeared as she began to smirk. "I guess I should complement you for your quick drawing."

"Shut up! I activate the effect of Black Feather – Vayu the Grand Flag in my Graveyard! When this Monster is in the Graveyard, I can remove it along with another Black Feather from play in order to Synchro Summon!"

"A Synchro from your Graveyard, huh? Not too shabby."

"I'm Tuning my Level Six Kogarashi the Wanderer with my Level One Vayu the Grand Flag, removing them from the game!"

**(6+1=7)**

Darkened gales, become the wings which will soar to the heavens! Synchro Summon! Black Feather - Armored Wing!"

Sherry's smirk widened. "You fell for that."

"What?!"

"I activate the effects of the Soul-Binding Gate copied by Z-ONE! When you Summon a Monster that has lower Attack Points than your total remaining Life Points, the card is destroyed and 800 points of damage is dealt to all players."

With a wave of her hand, the Soul-Binding Gate released a blast of lightning that struck down Armored Wing. The bird Monster screamed in agony as its body charred and faded away. At the same time, both Crow and Aki were struck by the same lightning, screaming in pain as they were knocked several inches back from the force of the attack. Simultaneously, Sherry was also struck by the force from her own attack, giving her the same pain her enemies were taking.

**[Crow's LP: 2450 - 1650]**

**[Aki's LP: 2050 - 1250]**

**[Sherry's LP: 3000 - 2200]**

The three Duelists were rendered momentarily immobile as smoke rose from their charred bodies. Crow, still on his knees, mustered the strength to lift his head. "This pain...is caused by the effect of Z-ONE?"

Aki struggled to pull her numb body back up as she looked over to Sherry, who was limp in the hands of the Grim Reaper atop the Soul-Binding Gate. "It's dealing real damage... I can't believe she'd even harm herself in order to defeat us..."

Sherry managed to return her grin, despite the shape she was in. "Yes. No matter how hard you struggle, you can't escape from this Hell-gate! What you felt was the energy of Z-ONE that reflects my ambition! What you're about to feel, however, far surpasses that!"

Aki suddenly heard a sadistic laugh coming from the skeletal guardian grasping her from behind. She turned around with a look of horror as the skeleton figure grasping her neck used its free hand to pierce her stomach with its scythe. Gasping in pain, Aki's eyes went white as she fell into a state of temporary unconsciousness.

"Aki! What the hell happen-" As Crow was worrying about Aki, he felt the guardian holding him shift its body. He looked up to see another scythe heading in his direction, and he suffered the same piercing pain.

Sherry chuckled through her clenched teeth as her body was also being pierced by the Grim Reaper. "Don't worry. You aren't _psychically_ being cut. These beings cut your _spirits_!"

Aki and Crow regained consciousness as they heard Sherry speaking. Crow managed to get back on his feet, feeling the energy slowly draining out of his body. "This is outrageous…"

Crow began to reflect on what just happened as he viewed Sherry's field. He couldn't believe how powerful the effect of the Soul-Binding Gate was. While it's true Sherry's Life Points were also damaged along with theirs, Aki's were damaged at the same time. Crow didn't care about protecting himself at this point. His chivalric nature kicked in as he made it his sole duty to protect Aki from further harm. No matter what, he couldn't let Aki's Life Points reach zero, even if it were to cost him his life.

Aki gasped as she saw Crow looking her way with intensely worried eyes. She quickly regained her composure and gave him a scolding look in return. "Crow, don't worry about me. You have to focus on finding a way to break through this right now!"

"But then...!"

Aki looked at him with pleading eyes. "Please, Crow!"

Crow stared into his friend's eyes for several seconds before he gave in and shifted his gaze back on Sherry. "I activate the Magic Card, Pot of Greed, from my hand! This card lets me draw two cards from my deck!" After drawing his cards, Crow quickly analyzed them both and slid one of them into the Magic/Trap Zone on his Duel Disk. "I set one card face-down and end my turn!"

Sherry laughed at their conversation. "Are you sure you should be so worried about Izayoi right now? In case you've forgotten, you're wide open right now!"

Aki gasped as Sherry eyed Crow's open field. "Shit," Crow mumbled under his breath.

"Centaur Mina, attack Crow directly! Sacred Slash!"

**[Crow's LP: 1650]**

**[Centaur Mina's ATK: 3700]**

Crow closed his eyes as he waited for the finishing blow, knowing this could end it all. He heard the sound of the impact, but he did not feel any pain. He slowly looked up and gasped when he saw Aki's Phoenixian Seed dissolving as Centaur Mina's long sword pierced its body.

"Aki! Why'd you do that?! Now you're wide open!"

"Who cares?! I won't just stand and let her kill you!"

Sherry chuckled as she shifted through the cards in her hand. "Admirable friendship, but I'm afraid you've only prolonged his suffering. I set two cards and end my turn!"

"My turn! Draw!" Aki pulled a card off her deck as she entered into her Standby Phase.

**[Aki's LP: 1250]**

As Aki eyed the card she just drew, a relieved smile came to her face. She knew she could turn the tables with the card she was now holding.

Sherry raised a curious eyebrow as she observed Aki's actions. "And what exactly are _you_ smiling about?"

Aki's smile widened as she looked into Sherry's eyes. "I'm smiling because I'm about to even the playing field."

"Is that so?" Sherry asked in a monotonous voice.

"I activate the Magic Card, Lightning Vortex, from my hand!"

Sherry's expression melted as she suddenly looked worried. "Wh-What?!"

Despite his weakened body, Crow managed a soft laugh. "Yes! Great drawing, Aki!"

"By discarding a card from my hand, I can destroy all the Monsters on your field, Sherry!"

Aki sent one of the few remaining cards in her hand to the Graveyard. As she did, the card on her Duel Disk began to glow. A wave of lightning bolts emerged from Aki's field and washed over Sherry like an electrical rain shower. She grunted from the assault as her Centaur Mina was charred black and shattered.

Sherry shielded her eyes from the bright light and growled under her breath. "Damn you…!"

Aki looked pleased with her efforts as she took another card from her hand and slid it into her Duel Disk's Magic/Trap Zone. "I set one card face-down and end my turn!"

"My turn!" Crow quickly took over as he drew his card.

Sherry scoffed. "Even if you managed to destroy my Monster, you two have nothing to be so happy about!"

The reality of Sherry's words reminded Aki and Crow of their current situation. Their smiles faded as Crow examined the cards in his hand. The only Monster Card Crow had in his hand was Black Feather – Hurricane the Tornado, a card that determined its Attack Power based on the Attack Points of a Synchro Monster on the field. With no Synchro currently in play on either side of the field, Crow knew playing it would serve no purpose. _"There's no point in using it now," _he thought to himself. _"In which case, I..."_

"I place one card face-down, ending my turn!"

Realizing Crow had no other moves, Aki's worried expression returned. "Crow…"

Sherry scoffed at his efforts. "Heh! You plan to protect your friend like _that_? My turn!"

**[Sherry's LP: 2200]**

The card Sherry just drew brought a sinister smirk to her face. "I Summon The Flower of Death - Necro Fleur."

As Sherry slapped the card on her Duel Disk, a small wilted rose in the shape of a skull head appeared on her field.

**[Necro Fleur: LV1/0/0]**

"Necro Fleur will be destroyed because of Soul-Binding Gate's effect, and all players receive 800 points of damage!"

The previous events repeated themselves as the three Duelists were zapped by electricity and stabbed by scythes that pierced their inner spirits. Their screams filled the room, and then went silent shortly after as the three recovered from the damage.

**[Aki's LP: 1250 - 450]**

**[Crow's LP: 1650 - 850]**

**[Sherry's LP: 2200 - 1400]**

Crow shook the pain off as he turned to Aki, who was also just recovering. "You okay, Aki?"

"I am..."

"I then activate Necro Fleur's Monster Effect!" The two gasped as Sherry's voice cut in.

"If this card is destroyed by a Card Effect, I can Special Summon The Witch of Time's Flowers - Fleur de Sorciere from my deck."

A beautiful sorcereress wearing a colorful dress of light shades of pink, red, and blue appeared on the field. She had long, blue hair that was covered by an orange veil. He held a rose-shaped staff in her hand.

**[Fleur de Sorciere: LV8/2900/0]**

"She's got 2900 Attack Points?! She can't activate Soul-Binding Gate's effect with that!" Crow observed. "But if she attacks directly, either me or Aki will be wiped out in one hit!"

"Hmph, this won't be such a simpleminded play," Sherry said as her grin faded. "Fleur de Sorciere's Monster Effect activates! Once per turn, I can Special Summon one of the opponent's Monsters in the Graveyard onto my side of the field!"

Coming to a sudden realization at the same time, Crow and Aki gasped simultaneously.

"I Special Summon the Night Rose Knight from Aki Izayoi's Graveyard!"

Sherry's Monster blew a stream of magical dust from her mouth that surrounded Aki's field. Night Rose Knight, the petite swordsman, was yanked out of Aki's Graveyard and materialized onto the field.

**[Night Rose Knight: LV3/1000/1000]**

"No...! My Monster...!" Aki called out.

"Using Soul-Binding Gate, I destroy Night Rose Knight! Dealing 800 points of damage to all players in the process."

Having only 450 Life Points left, Aki gasped out in sudden terror as the dreadful reality washed over her. Sherry grinned at this, knowing full well what she was thinking. "Farewell, Aki Izayoi. When I'm done with you, I'll bury Crow next."

The Soul-Binding Gate began to glow as it prepared to strike the three once again with a blast of lightning.

"Forget that!" Crow called out. "Trap Card, open! Chaos Life! If damage from a Card Effect is about to reduce a player's Life Points to zero, I can negate that damage, and we gain Life equal to the same amount!"

Crow's card shot a red blast of its own that stopped the lightning beam from reaching its targets.

"What?!"

Aki, saying nothing, turned to face Crow with a serious expression on her face.

**[Aki's LP: 450 - 1250]**

**[Crow's LP: 850 - 1650]**

**[Sherry's LP: 1400 - 2200]**

"You won't take us down that easily!" Crow yelled out, much to Sherry's annoyance.

This, however, did not remove the smile from Sherry's face. "Still, Fleur de Sorciere has yet to attack! I'm perfectly fine with offing you first. Direct Attack Crow!"

Crow closed his eyes as the sorceress sent a stream of magical energy his way. Aki's voice cut in. "I won't let you do that! Trap Card, open! Ivy Veil! I remove one Plant-Type Monster in my Graveyard from play in order to negate the opponent's attack and damage them by half the removed Monster's Attack Power!"

Caught off guard, Sherry gasped in surprise. "Wha-?!"

"I exclude my Rose Tentacles from my Graveyard...in order to negate Fleur de Sorciere's attack!" As Aki spoke, a wall of green ivy appeared and blocked the magical energy before it reached Crow. "Then you'll take damage equal to half of Rose Tentacle's Attack Power, 1100 points!" The wall of ivy spit the magical energy back out, straight into Sherry's chest. She grunted from the attack, but she did not receive Real Damage.

**[Sherry's LP: 2200 - 1100]**

Crow turned to Aki and sent her a grateful smile. "You saved me, Aki!"

Aki returned the smile. "Likewise. Thanks to you, I'm safe."

Sherry wiped sweat from her forehead as the Grim Reaper's grip on her neck tightened. "Should you really be rejoicing simply because you survived a single turn? You can't tear down the Soul-Binding Gate! Your defeats have already been determined!"

"Sherry!" Crow called out to the woman. "Stop this dangerous Duel already! You have no reason to hurt us!"

Sherry's smile did not waver, despite Crow's words. "I will change the past. I'm certain that if you had the chance to, you'd do the same thing."

"Wha...? What are you implying?! I would never-"

"I wonder if you'd still feel that way if you had the opportunity to."

Crow could only growl in response.

"Then allow me to show you...Z-one's power!"

The Z-ONE card on Sherry's field reappeared and began to glow, consuming the entire room with a blinding light. The Grim Reaper and the Guardians of the Underworld disappeared as the three were transported to another dimension. As they looked around them, they saw the silhouettes of a group of children playing in a playground. The kids were happily laughing with one another.

"What the?" Crow seemed confused as he looked around him, no longer feeling the grip of the skeleton around his neck.

"This place..." Aki said quietly.

"Hey!" The voice of a man suddenly caught their attention. A man's silhouette waved to the group of kids. "Daichi!"

Beside the man, a shadowed woman did the same. "Ginga!"

"Mama!"

"Dad!"

Crow felt a strange sensation as the children ran past him, unaware of his presence. He watched silently as the kids greeted their parents, soaking in their affection as they patted their heads and hugged them tightly.

"This is..." Crow said out loud as he spoke his thoughts.

Sherry's voice startled Crow, as she was now standing right beside him. "This is the world changed by Z-one's power. These are the true desires that lie deep within yourself."

"These are my true desires?"

"Crow... If I were to guess what it is you desire deep within your heart, it would be a world where the Zero Reverse never occurred. A world where the orphans you've been looking after can all live in happiness with their families."

"What?"

"Those children can live with their true families?" Aki asked.

"That's right," Sherry said. "If you wish for it, you can bring back the parents of these children."

"What do you mean?" Crow asked.

"Surrender this Duel and work with me," Sherry said as she looked right into Crow's eyes.

Aki and Crow gasped as they watched the kids eating happily with their parents at a picnic. Sherry continued speaking as they did. "If you do, I'm certain that Z-one will make this world a reality."

"Their...families?" Crow asked out loud.

The room faded to white as they were returned to their present world. The tightness of the skeletons' grips around their necks returned, as did the pain inflicted onto them by the Soul-Binding Gate.

Back in the hands of the Grim Reaper, Sherry wore a confident smile, as if she had achieved her goal. "Turn end."

Aki noticed Crow looking uneasy, as if he were suddenly unsure of his own actions. "Crow, you mustn't be fooled by Sherry's words! We came here to save Neo Domino City and to prevent Yusei from dying, right?!"

"Aki..." Crow looked to his friend for mental comfort.

"It's the same for me... If it's possible, I'd like to save those children! Even so...! If we give up, the city will be destroyed and many people will fall victim! You seriously wish to put those kids in danger because of a slim chance for a future where they can have their parents back?!"

Crow forced his eyes shut as he fell into a state of panic.

"It's my turn!" Aki drew her card in silence.

**[Aki's LP: 1250]**

"_This is...!" _Aki thought as she looked at the card she drew. _"If I can use this to get through to Crow... In order to do that..." _Aki slowly nodded as she looked over to Crow, who seemed confused by her actions.

"I set one card face-down! Then I activate the Magic Card, Cyclone, from my hand! This card destroys one of your Magic or Trap Cards on the field!"

Sherry grunted as a large tornado washed over Sherry's field, shattering one of her set cards on the field. Sherry seemed unfazed by her actions, however, and maintained her composure. "Your actions just triggered my second face-down Trap Card, Fleur Counterattack! When a card on my field is destroyed by a card effect, this card randomly sends a card in your hand to the Graveyard!" Sherry chuckled as Aki looked worried by her words. "You were looking pretty excited about the card you just drew. With only three cards left in your hand, there's a 33% chance that the card you just drew will be sent far from your reach!"

Aki began to sweat as the cards in her hand began to glow one by one, repeating in a consistent motion. The light began to slow down as it prepared to land on the card that Aki would be forced to send to her Graveyard. Aki breathed a sigh of relief when the light selected one of the useless Magic Cards in her hand. She sent the card into her Graveyard, feeling relieved.

Sherry's smile turned upside down as she saw Aki's expression. "So you've got luck on your side. But how long will that last?"

It was now Aki's turn to smile. "Long enough!"

Crow could not understand why Aki was acting so confident. He watched her in silence with a worried expression on his face.

Sherry narrowed her eyes. "Well, the other card you sent to the Graveyard with Cyclone was Fleur Cursed Gift. When this card is sent to the Graveyard, my opponent's Life Points increases by 500 points!"

**[Aki's LP: 1250 - 1750]**

**[Crow's LP: 1650 - 2150]**

Aki and Crow looked confused by what just happened as a black light entered their bodies.

Sherry's grin returned suddenly. "But don't get too excited just yet. On my second Standby Phase after this card's activation, my opponent takes 500 points of damage for every Monster Card in their Graveyard!"

Crow's eyes widened as he processed her words. "What?! Between me and Aki, we have seven Monsters in our Graveyards! If that effect activates, we'll take 3500 damage to our Life Points, wiping us out instantly!"

Sherry began to chuckle, believing she had the upper hand. "Knowing this, can you defeat me in just two turns?"

Aki did not waver. Her smile returned, wavering Sherry's confidence. "Oh, we can."

Sherry gritted her teeth as she raised an eyebrow. "Come again?"

Aki's smile faded as she put on a serious face. "I Summon Blue Rose Dragon!"

A small grey dragon with blue feathers around its neck appeared on the field.

**[Blue Rose Dragon: LV4/1600/1200]**

Crow called out to Aki with concern, knowing full well what would happen.

"You fool!" Sherry shouted angrily. "Trying to kill yourself even sooner, huh?! Because of Soul-Binding Gate's effect, Blue Rose Dragon is destroyed! And we all receive 800 points of damage!"

The three endured the electrical shock and the stabbing by the skeletons, gradually losing more energy with each hit. Aki put on a brave face and continued with her turn, ignoring the throbbing in her chest.

**[Aki's LP: 1750 - 950]**

**[Crow's LP: 2150 - 1350]**

**[Sherry's LP: 1100 - 300]**

"When Blue Rose Dragon is destroyed, I can Special Summon Black Rose Dragon from my Graveyard by negating its Monster Effect!"

**[Black Rose Dragon: LV7/2400/1800]**

"Sherry, my Life has fallen considerably to 950. Though the situation may be grave for us, it also makes it easier to Summon more powerful Monsters. It means you can't activate the Soul-Binding Gate! Your card is a double-edge sword!"

Sherry looked displeased by Aki's deduction. "Hmph. Clever."

Aki silently looked at the card in her hand. _"Crow... The rest is up to you," _she thought in her mind. "I set one card and end my turn!" With this, Aki used up the last of her hand. She was betting on the card she just set on the field.

Crow silently began to draw his card without announcing his turn. Sherry called out to him before he could lift the card off the top of his deck. "Think this over carefully, Crow!" Sherry's words pierced his soul, freezing him in place before he could finish drawing.

Sherry forced a smile to her face, hiding her worry. "Will you continue this hopeless Duel? Or will you give this Duel up and give those kids back their parents? Which of these terms will you select?"

Crow began struggling with himself, confused by his own feelings. _"I'm the same," _he thought to himself. _"I know the pain of having no family all too well! It's the same for them..."_

"Crow!" Aki shouted, displeased with his current course of actions.

"Aki! I don't want to hurt you! That's why I..." Crow closed his eyes as his body began to shake.

"Aki Izayoi's Life has already dropped to 950," Sherry said. "If you Summon a Monster with less than 1400 Attack Points, the effect of Soul-Binding Gate will bring her down to a mere 150. If she were to receive damage of any kind after that…"

"Aki would…" Crow's voice trailed off as he pictured her being defeated.

Deep down, Sherry knew she was in more danger than any of them, holding only 300 Life Points. She was betting everything on a psychological attack, and she tried her best to put up a front.

"Listen to me, Crow!" Aki said as she turned to Crow, looking straight into his eyes. "I was saved from the darkness of my Psychic Powers because of Yusei. It's because he put his own life in danger in order to try and change me. And now, my Psychic Powers have disappeared. And a new me was created. All because of that moment. If you believe in your own potential and live on, you're bound to be able to change the future!"

"Change... the future?" Crow began to feel differently than moments ago as he repeated Aki's words out loud.

"That's right! You have to believe in the future of those children and live life to the fullest! You don't have to live in sorrow! Crow, you think the same, don't you?"

Crow closed his eyes and began thinking back to his days living with Yusei and Jack back in Martha's orphanage in Satellite. _"She's right," _he thought. _"Those guys were the same as I was back then. Yusei and Jack... I lived with my friends from the same perspective..." _Crow opened his eyes and finished his thoughts out loud. "Sorry, guys... I almost chose the wrong path." That said, Crow shot Sherry a determined glare.

Aki smiled, relieved that she managed to stop her friend from making a huge mistake.

Sherry, on the contrary, looked far from relieved. "You're going to intentionally throw aside a chance to change the past, Crow?!"

"I believe in their future! And in the future of this city as well as Yusei's! My turn!" Drawing his card, Crow regained his confidence.

**[Crow's LP: 1350]**

Crow analyzed the field, knowing it was not looking good for them. Sherry had the lowest Life Points out of the three of them. But Crow did not have a Monster Card with less than 1350 Attack Points to activate the effect of Soul-Binding Gate, even if he wanted to. But that was not his aim. Sherry was delusional, but she was not evil. It's not as if he or Aki wanted to harm her. Crow knew the only way to defeat Sherry was by brute force, not using the effect of that cursed gate. On that trail of thought, Crow realized it was not that easy to overcome the 2900 Attack Power Fleur de Sorciere on Sherry's field. Not only that, but if they didn't defeat Sherry in just two turns, they'd receive massive damage from her Fleur Cursed Gift and both end up dead.

Crow couldn't help but wonder why Aki intentionally damaged herself with such a low amount of Life Points left just to get out Black Rose Dragon. Why did she take such a risky gamble? Just as he was thinking that, he noticed the set card Aki placed on the field. He thought for a moment and wondered if it was the card he thought it was. _"I see!" _he thought. _"Aki, I'm going to believe in you!"_

"Trap Card, open! Blackback!" Crow flipped up the card he had face-down on the field. It lets me Special Summon a Black Feather Monster with 2000 Attack Points or less from my Graveyard! Under the condition that I can't Normal Summon a Monster during this turn. I Special Summon the 1700 Attack Power Blast the Black Spear!"

**[Black Feather – Blast the Black Spear: LV4/1700/800]**

"It's got more Attack Points than my Life! So you can't activate Soul-Binding Gate!"

Sherry could only growl in response.

"Then I activate the Magic Card, Rendering Tuning! It lets me Special Summon one Tuner Monster from my hand! I Special Summon Black Feather - Hurricane the Tornado!"

As Crow slapped the card onto his Duel Disk, a muscular bird wearing roughed up closes appeared on the field, punching the air confidently.

**[Black Feather – Hurricane the Tornado: LV1/0/0]**

"Hurricane the Tornado's Attack Power is equal to one Synchro Monster on the field! As such, it will have the same 2400 Attack Points as Black Rose Dragon! You can't activate the Soul-Binding Gate!"

**[Black Feather – Hurricane the Tornado's ATK: 0 - 2400]**

Sherry's eyes widened as she began to lose her composure. "Wh-What did you say?!"

"Moreover, I activate the Magic Card, Level Wing! This card raises the level of one of my Monsters by three! This will raise the level of my Hurricane the Tornado from one to four!"

**[Black Feather – Hurricane the Tornado: LV1 - LV4]**

"I'm Tuning my Level Four Blast the Black Spear to my now Level Four Hurricane the Tornado!"

**(4+4=8)**

"Darkened squalls, become the wings that soar from resolved hope! Synchro Summon! Soar, Black Feather Dragon!"

The pitch-black dragon with black feathered wings appeared from a pool of green light as the previous Monsters turned into stars.

**[Black Feather Dragon: LV8/2800/1600]**

"Try whatever you like, but it's no use!" Sherry shouted in distress. "I'm going to change the past and bring this world back its happiness! Using the power of this card my father left me!"

"Come to your senses already, Sherry! Do you really think your old man gave it to you so you could do something like this?!"

"Shut up! I just want to see my father and mother again! I want to be held in those broad arms... I want to be embraced by those kind hands! Why can't I have that!? What's wrong about that!?"

"Why can't you understand, Sherry!? We have to live the only life we're given to the fullest! There's no point in going back to the past and starting over! If you think like that, no matter how much pain and sorrow you suffer through, you can believe in the future and live in the present stronger than you were before!"

Crow's words soaked into Sherry like a sponge. Memories of her parents began to wash over her, bathing her in warmth. However, the rage and anger took over once again and she began screaming at the top of her lungs. "Shut your mouth...! Shut up! Shut _up_!"

The Soul-Binding Gate began glowing vibrantly as the Grim Reaper lifted Sherry up higher, tightening its grip on her neck and positioning its scythe right against her heart.

Crow gritted his teeth and came to a conclusion. "Is this the only thing we can do to save you?" With a slick of his wrist, Crow order his dragon. "Black Feather Dragon, attack Fleur de Sorciere!"

"That's useless!" Sherry retorted. "Fleur de Sorciere has 2900 Attack Points! Your Black Feather Dragon is no match against it!"

"I told you that we'd change the future!" Crow said as he smiled over at Aki.

Aki returned the smile with a nod. "Right! We've been waiting for this moment!" Turning back to Sherry, Aki pressed a button on her Duel Disk. "Trap, activate! Synchro Stream! When there are two or more Synchro Monsters on the field, one of my Synchro Monsters can take on the Attack Power of another Synchro Monster on the field!"

"What!?" Sherry screamed in shock.

Crow looked happy that his intuition was correct. "Nice one. I knew you could do it, Aki!" Crow looked up at Sherry with determined eyes. "Sherry, it's time for you to open your eyes! Go, Black Feather Dragon! Black Rose Dragon!"

**[Black Feather Dragon's ATK: 2800 - 5200]**

Sherry gasped as the two dragons shot energy beams straight through Sherry's sorceress, shattering it. As the realization of defeat washed over Sherry, she suddenly saw her father's face in her mind's eye. His lips were moving, but she could not hear what he was saying.

**[Sherry's LP: 300 - 0]**

On the other side of the room, the Planetary Gear's whirring slowly came to a stop as the Momentum inside the device stopped functioning.

**BREAK**

Inside his room, Z-one watched in grim silence as the display hologram above him told him that one of the Planetary Gears had been turned off.

In Sherry's room, Crow noticed the lights in the room went out. He looked around him in confusion. "The gear's not moving... It stopped."

The two Guardians of the Underworld released their hold on Crow and Aki's necks. The two began coughing as a sudden burst of fresh air entered their lungs. Just as they regained awareness of their surroundings, they felt the ground below them tremble. Looking up, they saw cracks forming atop the Soul-Binding Gate.

"Sherry!" Worried about the woman, Crow ran over to where she was helplessly bound.

"Crow!" Aki reached out her hand as she tried to stop Crow. As she did, Sherry's previous words echoed in her mind.

"_The three of us have now made a pact with the God of Death. When our Life Points drop to zero, the Grim Reaper will cut out our chests and drag our souls into the underworld!"_

The Grim Reaper laughed evilly as it brought the blade of its scythe right against Sherry's heart. Defeated, Sherry closed her eyes and awaited her fate.

"She wasn't lying about that?!" Crow asked out loud, feeling a sudden wave of panic wash over him. "What kind of card is this?! Aki, can't we do anything?!"

Aki looked away in frustration. "I can't…! I no longer have Psychic Powers!"

Sherry let her body sink into the arms of the Grim Reaper, no longer having the strength to resist. "Is this my punishment…?" she whispered to herself.

Sherry's life began flashing before her eyes as the Grim Reaper brought down its scythe at full force. Crow ran over to her, screaming her name in agony.

"Sherry!" Aki called out at the top of her lungs, covering her hand with her mouth as she was about to witness Sherry's life end right before her eyes. Just when Aki thought it was hopeless, something happened that Aki could not comprehend right away. Before the scythe landed its target, the room began to slow and warp, as if everything was happening in slow motion.

"What…is this? Aki asked, noticing Crow and Sherry were also affected. At that moment, she felt something inside her chest flicker, as if a match were being lit in the core of her soul. The sensation was familiar to her, yet very different. An invisible aura suddenly emitted from the woman's body, consuming all within the vicinity of the room they were currently in. Aki lifted her hand and stared at in in shock, seeing a radiant glow around it. Looking up, Aki was amazed to see the Grim Reaper frozen, roaring as it struggled to break free of its confinement. Its boney fingers loosened, causing its grip on Sherry to weaken.

The events of the room began to speed up again, only this time Sherry's limp body slipped out of the Grim Reaper's reach. Sherry landed on the ground with a hard thud. The Grim Reaper looked shocked by what was happening, using its scythe to swing down on Sherry once again. Before it could meet its target, its entire body began to fade away from existence as it was forced back into the Underworld.

The Soul-Binding Gate began to fall apart piece by piece, and soon the entire room joined it. The force from the collision was so great that the floor beneath the three gave way, sending them falling deep down into the dark depth of the unknown abyss below.

In a separate pathway, Jack and Dark Glass were continuing their journey to one of the other Planetary Gears. The sound of the explosion was so loud that it reached their ears and even shook the ground underneath them. Looking surprised by what was happening, Jack looked in the direction the noise was coming from. "That crash just now...! Could it be?!"

Not far away from Jack, Dark Glass narrowed his eyes as if he was aware of something Jack was not. "Jack! We must hurry!"

"Right!"

The two sped up and continued their journey down the long corridor.

In a third passageway, Rua and Ruka were riding on their B-Boards alongside Yusei. The twins were clinging to Yusei's D-Wheel, using his speed to help them keep up with him. Yusei felt his arm glow, a signal and link the Signers shared. They could feel each other's presence during times of high emotional situations. Yusei looked pleased with what he felt, as the warm feeling of victory entered his senses. A small smile came to his face. "Crow! Aki! You guys did it!"

To Yusei's left, Ruka looked a bit concerned as she felt the shaking beneath her D-Board. "Did the Planetary Gear stop?"

To Yusei's right, Rua pumped his fist in the air excitedly. "Sweet! Now it's our turn!"

** BREAK**

Sherry now lied unconscious on the floor of the lower level of the Ark Cradle. She was surrounded by darkness, and covered by dust from the debris scattered around her. She was grasping the Z-ONE card her father gave her in her hand. In the subconscious of her mind, a familiar, gentle voice called out to her.

"_Sherry. Sherry!"_

As if by reflex, her eyes began to twitch. _"That voice... Father...?" _She slowly opened her eyes, still not fully aware of her surroundings.

"_Sherry, listen carefully to what your father has to tell you."_

Confused at first, Sherry realized her life was indeed flashing before her eyes. Was she on the verge of death? She had no idea, but the memory that was beginning to play in her mind was one she had not remembered until this moment.

The memory occurred many years ago when Sherry was still a young girl. She was living with her parents in a large mansion in France. Her father was the CEO of the LeBlanc Corporation, a well-known card designing company in France. Sherry recalled this day now, realizing it was the day her father gave her a present that meant more than anything else in the world to her, mainly because it was the last present he had given her before he was brutally gunned down alongside Sherry's mother soon after.

"_From here on out, your life is going to be a tough one."_

Young Sherry at the time could only blink at her father's words, too immature and ignorant to understand what he was talking about. Mr. LeBlanc kneeled down so he was on eye-level with his daughter, offering her a comforting smile despite her confusion.

"_You will most likely experience a lot of sorrow. But you must never linger in the past. You must live on with your own definition of justice. Once you do that, the future will be sure to open up for you."_

With that said, Mr. LeBlanc handed his daughter a teddy bear, the memento Sherry held dear to her. Young Sherry at the time was far too naïve to understand her father's words, but the thought of receiving a gift from the man who raised her brought a wide smile to her face. She hugged the bear and giggled gleefully. Unbeknownst to the young girl at the time, the Z-ONE Magic Card was tucked away in the zipper inside the teddy bear.

In hindsight, Sherry couldn't help but think that maybe her father knew something may happen to him. Perhaps those were meant as his final words to his daughter, his parting words of sorts. Perhaps, Sherry hypothesized, he knew his daughter would live for revenge and said those words to her to keep her from falling victim to that dreadful path of hatred. Perhaps, Sherry thought, but she had no way of truly knowing. Not long after this day, her parents were killed by assassins sent by Clark Smith of the Momentum Express, a company who sought after the Z-ONE card created by Dr. LeBlanc. Sherry now knew that this card held various codes for top secret experiments being conducted by both Yliaster and the Momentum Express. Clark had been erased from existence by the Three Emperors of Yliaster due to his failure, but somewhere along the line Sherry lost sight of her goal. She had literally become a tool for revenge.

"_How foolish," _Sherry thought to herself. Fresh tears began rolling down her cheeks as her father's last words to her were now fresh on her mind for the first time in her life. _"Right... Father...gave this to me so I could have the strength to live..." _Sherry clutched the Z-ONE card tightly in her hand as her tears poured down her face. _"Despite that, I was about to... I'm so sorry...! I'm so sorry, Father...!"_

Sherry curled up into a ball as she lied on the stone floor of the lower level. Sherry sobbed quietly as Crow came to. He slowly rose to his feet, shaking off the pain in his body. "What's going on here...?" Crow asked as he searched the new room they were in for answers.

Crow gasped when the answer became obvious. Black Rose Dragon, fully materialized in real life, was standing beside them. Using its wings, it was holding up several tons of fallen debris that would have crushed the three of them if it had landed on them. "That's... Black Rose protected us?"

"I wanted to save you two," Aki explained as she got to her feet. "With that wish in mind, Black Rose Dragon..."

The large red dragon shook the debris off its wings, tossing it safely away from the three. As it did so, its body began to glow a bright purple. The purple light washed over Sherry's limp body, bathing her in its warm radiance. Sherry's injuries slowly began to fade, and she felt her strength returning to her body.

Beside her, the same was happening to Crow. He looked at his hand in shock as his wounds were healing before his very eyes. "So this is...Psychic Power? It's warm..." Crow looked over at Black Rose Dragon with appreciative eyes. "True Psychic Power may be the power to heal people."

Aki began to get emotional as she looked at her own hand, amazed at the sight before her. "The power to heal people...?" At that moment, Aki felt a moment of self-satisfaction that she had never experienced before in her entire life. It was enough to bring tears to her eyes, and at the same time enough to make her accept her ugly past. She was still unsure of what these new feelings were, but her gut feeling told her that they would lead her onto a path she never thought possible.

Black Rose Dragon took one last look at the three before it vanished. As it did, the room returned to its darkness.

Sherry, still on the ground, slapped her hands against the floor's hard surface in frustration with herself. "Just what have I been doing up until now...?!"

Crow and Aki turned to look down at her. "Hey Sherry," Crow said as he offered her a forgiving smile. "it's not too late. Let's change the future together!"

"Change...the future?"

"Yup. Let's save the city and Yusei!" With that, Crow reached out his hand, nodding to the older woman.

Sherry looked up at the two with apologetic eyes. "Crow... Aki..."

Aki nodded to her, offering her a smile of her own.

Sherry looked down at the Z-ONE card and heard her father's words once again. _"You must live on with your own definition of justice."_

"I understand," Sherry said as she nodded up at the two. "I'll go with you guys."

Crow quietly helped the woman to her feet, smiling at her as he did so. As if nothing at all happened between them, Aki and Crow silently accepted her back into their lives. Feeling grateful for that, Sherry couldn't help but return the smile, albeit a weak smile at best.

The three turned their gaze toward the pathway that appeared to lead to another room. "Let's get a move on," Crow said. "Yusei and the others will be waiting for us at the Support Gear!"

"Right." Aki and Sherry said nothing more as they followed Crow in the direction of the doorway to the other side of the room.

As the three started walking, a fourth pair of footsteps coming from the other side of the room startled them. As dark as the room was, they could only turn their heads in the direction of the footsteps, unable to see the body they belonged to.

"Well, well. It seems a couple of rats have found their way into my laboratory," a cold voice said as the footsteps drew closer.

"Who's there?!" Crow yelled out into the pitch black room.

As if to answer his question, the man clapped his hands together. In response, bright lights illuminated the now tattered room, revealing a series of bizarre machines and unusual equipment around the room alongside several beakers of different colored chemicals. Once their eyes adjusted to the light, they met the purple eyes of Paradox, who stared coldly back at them. He had his arms crossed as he analyzed the situation. He was wearing skin-tight clothing consisting of several shades of blacks, whites, and greys.

"You really did a number on my lab, didn't you?" he said nonchalantly.

"You…!" Sherry said under her breath.

"Who's this guy?!" Crow asked sharply, looking to Sherry for answers.

"Another enemy?!" Aki cried, lifting her Duel Disk.

Paradox shot Sherry a disgusted look. "It seems one of the Planetary Gears were stopped. You've failed us, woman. Z-one was a fool to trust that you could get the job done."

"Paradox!" Sherry shouted, pointing directly at him.

A small smirk appeared on the man's pale face. "Didn't your mother ever teach you not to point at people?" he asked sarcastically. "Oh, right. I forgot. You don't _have_ a mother, do you, Sherry LeBlanc?"

Sherry's eyes now burned with rage as she stared daggers into the man.

Crow looked confused as he examined Paradox. "Paradox?! The guy who stole Yusei's Stardust Dragon?!"

"What are you doing here?!" Aki shouted at the new enemy. "Yusei defeated you!"

Paradox's smirk faded as he turned his gaze on the two Signers. "I have no reason to answer to those I'm about to defeat."

"What?!" Crow cried.

"To be honest," Paradox shrugged coolly, "I could care less whether you succeed in stopping the Support Gear." Paradox's lips curled into a sinister grin as he continued. "My only goal is to defeat you Signers! If you want to proceed any further, you'll have to defeat me!" Leaving it at that, Paradox activated his Duel Disk, a device painted blood red. It was his custom made Duel Disk.

In response, Aki quickly reactivated her own Duel Disk. "We're all still worn out from our fight just now. Even if Black Rose Dragon healed our wounds, it couldn't completely restore our energy."

Crow nodded, knowing she was right. "We're gonna have to make this quick so we can meet up with Yusei!"

"I'll help you out!" Sherry said as she shuffled Z-ONE into her deck and activated her Duel Disk. "I owe you two my life!"

Paradox began to chuckle as his eyes grew demented. "Stop joking. Even the three of you together won't last more than 10 minutes against me. I activate the Field Magic Card, Sin World!"

As Paradox inserted the card into his Duel Disk's Field Spell Zone, the entire room warped and shifted. The colors inverted and a layer of purple light filled the ground around them. The three suddenly found it hard to breath, as if the light was somehow suffocating them.

"What the hell is this?" Crow asked, suppressing a cough deep within his throat.

Paradox began laughing as he watched their discomfort. "This is a world of negation. As long as you're within this void, you will move exactly as I want you to."

"What the hell does that mean…?" Crow mumbled through his clenched teeth.

A wicked grin formed on Paradox's face as he lowered his brow sadistically. "It means you three won't even live long enough to see the fruit of my hard labor pay off."

**BREAK**

Back in the path Yusei and the twins were driving down, Ruka looked over and saw her brother's arm start to tremble. He saw her looking over at him and quickly used his other arm to stop the shaking.

"Are you okay, Rua?" she asked out of concern.

"I-I'm fine! You don't have to worry about me!"

Ruka released a heavy sigh. "You don't have to hide the fact that you're scared from me, you know." The timid girl looked down at the ground. "I'm scared too, you know."

Yusei watched the two quietly before he turned his gaze to the path ahead of them. "Don't worry. I'll protect the both of you against whatever enemy lies ahead! Don't leave my side at any cost!"

"You don't need to worry about me, Yusei!" Rua gave Yusei a reassuring look. Yusei did not turn around, but he watched the boy in the corner of his eyes. "I'm gonna protect Ruka no matter what! And I won't let you die, Yusei! Even if I'm not a Signer, I'm gonna fight the enemy with all I've got!" Rua proudly bumped his fist against his chest, earning an appreciative smile from Yusei, who finally turned to look at him. Ruka also offered her brother a smile, feeling reassured by his presence.

Before Rua could soak in their smiles, however, he was met with shock as a wall suddenly shot up from the center of the tunnel.

"Wh-What the?!" Rua shouted, taken a back.

"A wall?!" Yusei's quick thinking lead him to react instantly. He quickly turned to the two and order them, saying, "Hang on tight, you two!"

Yusei slammed his foot down hard on the breaks of his D-Wheel, causing the three to start skidding across the floor. Ruka shut her eyes tight and clinged to Yusei's arm in fright as her D-Board was lifted off the ground due to the high speed Yusei's D-Wheel was now sliding at. Rua, on the other side, tried to mimic his sister's actions. Unfortunately, his hand slipped and he lost his grip on the metal surface of the D-Wheel. His small body was ejected from the D-Wheel, right toward the oncoming wall just inches away from them. Yusei, too busy trying to keep the D-Wheel from crashing, did not realize what was happening. Similarly, Ruka was too frightened and had her head buried in Yusei's arm. With their attention currently elsewhere and the noise of metal scraping against the hard floor below, Rua's shouts did not reach them.

Rua's D-Board was now moving on its own, moving at a frequency so high it would not obey the stop button Rua repeatedly pressed. In order to avoid crashing head-on into the massive wall forking the path ahead, Rua used his foot to propel himself toward the right, sending him down a separate path from the other two. At the same time, Yusei's D-Wheel skidded to a screech several feet down the left side of the path. Ruka, still clinging to Yusei's arm, was dragged along with him.

By the time Yusei's D-Wheel came to a complete stop, Yusei was panting heavily. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked down at Ruka, who was still gripping his arm with her life. "Are you okay?!" he asked, placing both of his hands on her shoulders.

Ruka slowly lifted her head, realizing they had safely come to a stop. "Y-Yeah…" Ruka finally let go of Yusei's arm as she looked at the wall beside her. "That was a close one…"

"And you, Rua?!" Yusei turned to the other side of his D-Wheel where he thought Rua was. Instantly, the two realized he was nowhere in sight.

"Rua!" Ruka began to panic, running over to where she thought her brother was.

"Don't worry! We'll go back for him! He must have fallen off!" Yusei reassured Ruka, who nodded quickly back. She got back onto her D-Board and grabbed onto Yusei's D-Wheel once again. Yusei spun the D-Wheel around and headed back into the direction he just came, taking Ruka along with him.

Just as they started driving back the way they came, they were shocked when the wall splitting the tunnel suddenly went back down into the ground. "What?!" Yusei shouted as he searched for any trace of Rua. He was shocked when the boy was nowhere to be seen.

"What happened?!" Ruka screamed, her eyes beginning to tear up. "Rua! Rua!"

The two screamed Rua's name at the top of their lungs, but there was no answer.

"Rua! Are you here?!" Yusei tried one more time to no avail. "This is impossible. There's no way he could have just vanished into thin air…! Ruka," he said, trying to keep the fragile girl from losing her cool. "Stay close to me. We'll search this area as many times as it takes! We won't leave without Rua!"

Ruka slowly nodded, unsure of how to respond. Her mind was beginning to blur.

Elsewhere, Jack and Dark Glass were slowly but surely making progress toward their destination.

"Jack, take this right up ahead!"

"Okay!" Jack nodded to the stranger as he pumped the gas and took the lead, taking a sharp right turn toward the corner up ahead.

As Dark Glass attempted to follow right behind Jack, he suddenly felt his body freeze as his D-Wheel crossed over a marked spot on the floor. "What…?"

Unable to move, he looked up and gasped in shock when he saw himself staring back at him with a sinister expression on his face. "Wh-What in the world…?!"

Jack continued his travels, completely oblivious that he was now alone. After a while passed, he turned back and was shocked to see Dark Glass was no longer there. "What the hell? Where'd he go?"

Jack looked up and realized he was now inside a vast room with no ceiling or walls. For as far as his eyes could see, he saw nothing but white. "Where the hell am I? Is this still the Ark Cradle?"

Jack was startled by oncoming footsteps approaching from behind him. What he saw when he turned around nearly made his eyes pop out of his head. Rua, clad in white and black stripped clothing similar to Sherry's outfit, was walking toward him wearing a wicked grin on his face.

"Rua?!"

At the same time, Rua found himself in a similar situation. He realized Yusei and Ruka were no longer with him and he began to panic. "Ruka! Yusei! Where are you?! Darn it! I'm all by myself now! How can I protect them if they don't stay by me?!"

Approaching footsteps caught Rua's attention as he quickly turned around. "Wh-Who's there?!" Rua's eyes widened as Jack, wearing black and white stripped clothing, was walking toward him. "J-Jack?! What the heck?!" Jack answered him with a chuckle, activating a black Duel Disk attached to his arm.

Back in Paradox's laboratory, Sherry watched in horror as Crow and Aki fell to the ground, their eyes completely white.

**[Crow's LP: 0]**

**[Aki's LP: 0]**

"Crow! Aki!" Sherry growled and looked over at Paradox with hateful eyes. "What the hell did you do to them?!"

Paradox chuckled as he watched the two Signers fall. "For Signers, they didn't put up much of a fight. I guess I should congratulate you for wearing them out as much as you did." Paradox looked down at a small timer hanging out of his shirt pocket. "Well, I'll give them some due credit. I said they wouldn't last more than 10 minutes, but they managed to drag that out for 15 minutes. Considering the state they were in, that wasn't too bad."

Sherry narrowed her eyes, unable to work up the energy to say anything back.

"Now their Signer Dragons belong to me," Paradox said as he lifted up two black cards with the images of Black Rose Dragon and Black Feather Dragon etched inside of them. "Along with their birthmarks." Grinning, Paradox lifted up his right arm, revealing the tail and foot birthmarks that belonged to Crow and Aki respectively. The marks now resonated brightly on his arm, and were no longer present on the arms of their owners, who were sprawled out on the cold floor.

Sherry's eyes widened with horror as she absorbed all of this at once. "What?! How did you…?!"

"Don't worry. You'll be joining your friends soon, traitor. Go, Sin Black Feather Dragon! Sin Black Rose Dragon! Attack the woman directly!"

Above Paradox appeared two dragons nearly identical to the originals, only these wore masks with black and white stripes over them. Their hue was also noticeably darker.

Sherry screamed in agony as the two dragons sent black energy beams straight at her empty field. The blasts collided with her body, sending her flying across the room. She landed against one of the machines in the back of the room, whacking her head hard against the metallic surface.

**[Sherry's LP: 1200 - 0]**

Sherry's vision slowly faded as she watched Paradox walk closer to her. He chuckled at her state, amused by the success of his work. "Don't worry. I won't kill you. I've already taken what I need from you. I've decided that I want the three of you to stay alive so you can witness the final moment when the Ark Cradle crashes into the ground below." An evil gleam flashed in Paradox's eyes as he began to laugh diabolically. "Then in that final moment, you'll know that everything you've all worked for, all the sacrifices you've made up to this point, have all been in vain!"

The last thing heard was Paradox's laughter as he walked past Crow and Aki and headed for the doorway up ahead. She fell unconscious.

As he walked toward the door, Paradox pressed a button on the watch attached to his wrist, revealing a digital map. He saw two red dots in a room labeled as the 'Hallucination Room'. His grin widened as he observed the data in front of him, seeing the identity of the two in the room on his security cameras.

"It seems two of the remaining rats have stumbled into the trap I set. Excellent. I'll be sure to greet them, assuming they manage to survive until I get there."

**Another enemy enters the fray! What is his plan?!**

**To be continued in Chapter 5: "The Unintended Battle: Jack VS Rua" **

**List of Cards Used in This Chapter (In order of appearance):**

**Sealing Swords of Light (OCG: Swords of Revealing Light)**

**Spell**

**Flip all monsters your opponent controls face-up. This card remains on the field for 3 of your opponent's turns. While this card is face-up on the field, monsters your opponent controls cannot declare an attack.**

**Giant Bomber Airrade (OCG: Flying Fortress SKY FIRE)**

**WIND**

**Level 8**

**Machine/Effect**

**3000/2500**

**This card can only be Special Summoned with "Delta Reactor" or "Summon Reactor****・****AI". Once per turn, you can send 1 card from your hand to the Graveyard to destroy 1 card your opponent controls. Once during each of your opponent's turns, you can activate 1 of the following effects:**

● **When your opponent Normal Summons or Special Summons a monster, destroy it and inflict 800 damage to your opponent.**

● **When your opponent Sets a card, destroy it and inflict 800 damage to your opponent.**

**Thunder Unicorn**

**LIGHT**

**Level 5**

**Beast/Synchro/Effect**

**2200/1800**

**1 Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner monsters**

**Once per turn, during your Main Phase, you can select 1 face-up monster your opponent controls. It loses 500 ATK for each monster you control, until the End Phase. During the turn this effect is activated, no other monsters can attack, except this card. When this card is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard, you can Special Summon it during that turn's Battle Phase in face-up Attack Position. If this card is Special Summoned this way, remove it from play at the end of the Battle Phase.**

**Call of the Living Dead (OCG: Call of the Haunted)**

**Permanent Trap Card**

**Target 1 monster in your Graveyard; Special Summon that target in face-up Attack Position. When this card leaves the field, destroy that target. When that target is destroyed, destroy this card.**

**Bicorn Re'em**

**DARK**

**Level 4**

**Beast/Tuner/Effect**

**800/1600**

**This card cannot be used as a Synchro Material Monster, except for the Synchro Summon of a Beast-Type Synchro Monster. If this card is sent to the Graveyard for a Synchro Summon, send the top 2 cards of your opponent's Deck to the Graveyard.**

**D.D. Unicorn Knight**

**LIGHT**

**Level 4**

**Warrior/Effect**

**1800/900**

**This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card can only be Special Summoned if your opponent controls a monster(s) and you control a face-up Tuner monster(s). When this card is Special Summoned this way, you can select 1 of your removed from play Level 3 or lower non-Tuner monsters and Special Summon it. Its effect(s) are negated. You cannot Normal Summon or Set the turn you Special Summon this card.**

**Mechlord Emperor Wisel (OCG: Meklord Emperor Wisel)**

**DARK**

**Level 1**

**Machine/Effect**

**2500/2500**

**Other monsters you control cannot attack. Once per turn, you can select and equip 1 face-up Synchro Monster your opponent controls to this card. This card gains ATK equal to the combined ATK of all Synchro Monsters equipped to it and all other face-up "Wisel", "Skiel", and "Grannel" monsters you control. When this card is destroyed, destroy all monsters you control.**

**Wisel Top**

**DARK**

**Level 1**

**Machine/Effect**

**500/0**

**If you do not control a face-up "Mechlord Emperor" monster, destroy this card.**

**Wisel Attack 3**

**DARK**

**Level 3**

**Machine/Effect**

**1600/0**

**You can Tribute 1 "Wisel Attack" to Special Summon this card from your hand. If you do not control a face-up "Mechlord Emperor" monster, destroy this card. During battle between an attacking "Mechlord Emperor" monster you control and a Defense Position monster whose DEF is lower than the ATK of the attacking monster, inflict piercing damage to your opponent.**

**Mechlord Emperor Skiel ∞ (OCG: Meklord Emperor Skiel)**

**WIND**

**Level 1**

**Machine/Effect**

**2200/2200**

**Other monsters you control cannot attack. Once per turn, you can equip 1 face-up Synchro Monster your opponent controls to this card. This card gains ATK equal to the combined ATK of all Synchro Monsters equipped to it and all other face-up "Wisel","Skiel", and "Grannel" monsters you control. When this card is destroyed, destroy all monsters you control.**

**Skiel Top**

**WIND**

**Level 1**

**Machine/Effect**

**600/0**

**If you do not control a face-up "Mechlord Emperor" monster, destroy this card.**

**Skiel Attack**

**WIND**

**Level 1**

**Machine/Effect**

**1000/0**

**If you do not control a face-up "Mechlord Emperor" monster, destroy this card.**

**Skiel Guard**

**WIND**

**Level 1**

**Machine/Effect**

**200/300**

**If you do not control a face-up "Mechlord Emperor" monster, destroy this card. Once per turn, when a monster you control is selected as an attack target, you can negate the attack.**

**Skiel Carrier**

**WIND**

**Level 1**

**Machine/Effect**

**400/0**

**If you do not control a face-up "Mechlord Emperor" monster, destroy this card.**

**Infinite Spirit Machine**

**Permanent Trap**

**Whenever you take damage, place 1 Aura Counter on this card for each multiple of 100 points of damage you take.**

**Mechlord Imperial Castle (OCG: Meklord Fortress)**

**Field Spell**

**Face-up "Mechlord Emperor" monsters you control cannot be targeted by the effects of Synchro Monsters. When this card on the field is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, you can add 1 "Mechlord Emperor" monster from your Deck to your hand.**

**Wisel Guard 3**

**DARK**

**Level 3**

**Machine/Effect**

**0/2000**

**If you do not control a face-up "Mechlord Emperor" monster, destroy this card. When another monster you control is selected as an attack target, you can switch the target to this card instead. Once per turn, this card cannot be destroyed by battle.**

**Double Cyclone**

**Quick-Play Spell **

**Select 1 Spell/Trap Card you control and 1 Spell/Trap Card your opponent controls. Destroy the selected card(s).**

**Urgent Tuning**

**Trap Card**

**Activate only during the Battle Phase. Synchro Summon 1 Synchro Monster. (Send the appropriate Synchro Material Monsters to the Graveyard.)**

**Lightning Tricorn**

**LIGHT**

**Level 8**

**Beast/Synchro/Effect**

**2800/2000**

**1 Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner monsters **

**If this card is destroyed by your opponent's card (either by battle or by card effect), you can select 1 "Thunder Unicorn" or "Voltic Bicorn" in your Graveyard and Special Summon it.**

**Fool's Dice**

**Counter Trap**

**Activate only when a monster your opponent controls is removed from the field. Discard 1 Level 2 or lower Normal Monster. Then, inflict damage to your opponent equal to the removed monster's Level x 200.**

**Infinite Absorption**

**Trap**

**Activate this card only when you have a face-up Infinite Spirit Machine on the field that has an Aura Counter(s) attached to it. Send Infinite Spirit Machine to the Graveyard and gain 100 Life Points for each Aura Counter placed on the card. **

**Mechlord Emperor Infinity **

**DARK**

**Level 1**

**Machine/Effect**

**0/2000**

**When you have at least five Mechlord Emperor cards in your Graveyard, you can Special Summon this card from your hand in face-up Attack Mode. Other monsters you control cannot attack. Once per turn, you can select and equip 1 face-up Synchro Monster your opponent controls to this card. This card gains ATK equal to the combined ATK of all Synchro Monsters equipped to it. Once per turn, you can equip a Mechlord Emperor card from your hand to this card and increase its ATK by the total ATK and DEF of the equipped card. Once per turn, Banish one card in your Graveyard in order to destroy one card on the field. When this card is destroyed, destroy all monsters you control.**

**Grannel Top 5 (OCG: Granel Top 5)**

**EARTH**

**Level 5**

**Machine/Effect**

**500/2000**

**If you do not control a face-up "Mechlord Emperor" monster, destroy this card. Once per turn, you can equip 1 face-up Synchro Monster your opponent controls to a face-up "Mechlord Emperor" monster you control.**

**Compliance (OCG: Flattery)**

**Trap**

**Activate only when an opponent's monster's ATK changes during the Battle Phase. Select 1 face-up monster you control. It gains ATK equal to the difference of the previous ATK and the new ATK of your opponent's monster, until the end of the Battle Phase.**

**Damage Lance**

**Trap**

**Activate only when an opponent's monster with 2000 or more ATK declares a direct attack. Inflict 1000 damage to your opponent. The attacking monster loses 1000 ATK during damage calculation only.**

**Soul-Binding Gate**

**Field Spell**

**When a monster that has lower ATK than the respective player's Life Points is Summoned face-up on the field, destroy that monster, and inflict 800 damage to each player.**

**Z-ONE**

**Spell**

**When this card is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, you can select 1 card from your hand, Deck, or Graveyard, and remove it from play. Then, activate this card from your Graveyard and place it face-up on your side of the field with the same effect(s) as the removed card. If this card is placed on the field with this effect, it cannot be destroyed.**

**Centaur Mina**

**LIGHT**

**Level 6**

**Beast-Warrior/Fusion/Effect**

**2200/1600**

**"Sacred Knight's Spearholder" + "Horse of the Floral Knights"**

**Once during each of your turns, you can negate the activation of an opponent's Trap Card, and return it to its original position.**

**Fusion Weapon**

**Equip Spell**

**Equip only to a Level 6 or lower Fusion Monster. The equipped monster gains 1500 ATK and DEF.**

**Phoenixian Seed**

**FIRE**

**Level 2**

**Plant/Effect**

**800/0**

**You can send this face-up card to the Graveyard to Special Summon 1 "Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis" from your hand.**

**Black Feather Spell**

**Spell**

**Discard one card from your hand to activate this card. Gain 300 Life Points for each "Black Feather" Monster in your Graveyard. This effect can only be activated once per Duel.**

**Black Feather - Vayu the Grand Flag (OCG: Blackwing – Vayu the Emblem of Honor)**

**DARK**

**Level 1**

**Winged-Beast/Tuner/Effect**

**800/0**

**If this card is face-up on the field, you cannot use it for a Synchro Summon. If this card is in your Graveyard, you can remove from play this card plus at least 1 non-Tuner monster on your field or in your Graveyard, and Special Summon 1 "Black Feather" Synchro Monster from your Extra Deck whose Level equal the total Levels of the removed monsters.**

**Black Feather – Kogarashi the Wanderer (OCG: Blackwing – Kogarashi the Wanderer)**

**DARK**

**Level 6**

**Winged-Beast/Tuner/Effect**

**2300/1600**

**When a face-up "Black Feather" monster you control is destroyed by a card effect and sent to the Graveyard, you can Special Summon this card from your hand. When you Synchro Summon using this card as a Synchro Material Monster, your opponent cannot activate cards or effects.**

**Black Feather – Armored Wing (OCG: Blackwing Armor Master)**

**DARK**

**Level 7**

**Winged-Beast/Synchro/Effect**

**2500/1500**

**1 "Black Feather" Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner monsters**

**This card cannot be destroyed by battle, and you take no Battle Damage from battles involving this card. If this card attacks a monster, you can place 1 Wedge Counter on that monster at the end of the Damage Step (max. 1). You can remove all Wedge Counters from your opponent's monsters to reduce the ATK and DEF of each monster that had a Wedge Counter to 0, until the End Phase.**

**Lightning Vortex**

**Spell**

**Discard 1 card. Destroy all face-up monsters your opponent controls.**

**Necro Fleur**

**DARK**

**Level 1**

**Plant/Effect**

**0/0**

**If this card is destroyed by a card effect and sent to the Graveyard, you can Special Summon 1 "Sorciere de Fleur" from your Deck.**

**Sorciere de Fleur**

**DARK**

**Level 8**

**Spellcaster/Effect**

**2900/0**

**When this card is Normal or Special Summoned, select 1 monster in your opponent's Graveyard. Special Summon that monster to your side of the field. It cannot attack your opponent directly, and is destroyed during the End Phase of this turn. The effect of "Sorciere de Fleur" can only be activated once per turn.**

**Night Rose Knight (OCG: Twilight Rose Knight)**

**DARK**

**Level 3**

**Warrior/Tuner/Effect**

**1000/1000**

**Your opponent cannot select a Plant-Type monster as an attack target. When this card is Normal Summoned, you can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower Plant-Type monster from your hand.**

**Chaos Life**

**Trap**

**Activate only when a player's Life Points would become 0 by a card effect. That player takes no damage from that effect. Instead, each player gains Life Points equal to the amount of damage that would have been inflicted by the card effect.**

**Ivy Veil**

**Trap**

**Activate only when your opponent's monster declares an attack. Remove from play 1 Plant-Type monster in your Graveyard to negate that attack and inflict damage to your opponent equal to half the ATK of the monster that was removed from play.**

**Cyclone (OCG: Mystical Space Typhoon)**

**Quick-Play Spell**

**Target 1 Spell/Trap Card on the field; destroy that target.**

**Fleur Counterattack**

**Counter Trap**

**Activate only when a card on your field is destroyed by a Card Effect. Randomly discard one card from your opponent's hand. **

**Fleur Cursed Gift**

**Trap Card**

**When this card is sent from the field to the Graveyard, your opponent gains 500 Life Points. Two of your Standby Phases after this card's activation, your opponent takes 500 points of damage for every Monster Card in their Graveyard.**

**Blue Rose Dragon**

**DARK**

**Level 4**

**Dragon/Effect**

**1600/1200**

**When this card is destroyed and sent from the field to the Graveyard, you can select 1 "Black Rose Dragon" or 1 Plant-Type monster in your Graveyard, and Special Summon it.**

**Black Rose Dragon**

**FIRE**

**Level 7**

**Dragon/Synchro/Effect**

**2400/2800**

**1 Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner monsters**

**When this card is Special Summoned, you can destroy all cards on the field. Once per turn, you can remove from play 1 Plant-Type monster from your Graveyard and select 1 monster your opponent controls. Its ATK becomes 0 until the End Phase. (If the selected monster is in Defense Position, change it to Attack Position.)**

**Blackback**

**Trap**

**Select and Special Summon 1 "Black Feather" monster with 2000 or less ATK from your Graveyard. You cannot Normal Summon or Set other monsters this turn.**

**Black Feather – Blast the Black Spear (OCG: Blackwing – Bora the Spear)**

**DARK**

**Level 4**

**Winged-Beast/Effect**

**1700/800**

**If you control a "Black Feather" monster other than "Black Feather - Blast the Black Spear", you can Special Summon this card from your hand. During battle between this attacking card and a Defense Position monster whose DEF is lower than the ATK of this card, inflict the difference as Battle Damage to your opponent.**

**Rendering Tuning**

**Spell**

**Select 1 Tuner monster in your hand, and Special Summon it.**

**Black Feather – Hurricane the Tornado (OCG: Blackwing – Hurricane the Tornado)**

**DARK**

**Level 1**

**Winged-Beast/Tuner/Effect**

**0/0**

**When this card is Summoned, select 1 face-up Synchro Monster on the field. This card's ATK becomes the same as the selected monster's.**

**Black Feather Dragon (OCG: Black-Winged Dragon)**

**DARK**

**Level 8**

**2800/1600**

**1 Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner monsters**

**Whenever you would take damage from a direct attack or card effect, you can place 1 Black Feather Counter on this card instead. This card loses 700 ATK for each Black Feather Counter on it. Once per turn, you can remove any Black Feather Counters on this card to have any face-up monster(s) your opponent controls lose 700 ATK for each Black Feather Counter, and inflict damage to your opponent equal to the ATK lost by that monster(s) because of this effect.**

**Synchro Stream**

**Trap**

**Activate only while there are 2 or more face-up Synchro Monsters on the field. Select 1 of those monsters. When that monster attacks, you can have it gain ATK equal to the ATK of another face-up Synchro Monster on the field, except the selected monster, until the End Phase.**


	5. Rua VS Jack: The Unintended Battle

**Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's: The Ark Cradle Rewrite**

**Chapter 5: "The Unintended Battle: Jack VS Rua"**

The shadow of the Ark Cradle grew ever closer as the Duelists in front of the Daedalus Bridge stared each other down in disturbing silence. The Three Emperors of Yliaster wore confident, superior smiles on their faces as they maintained their advantage over the Duel Field. Behind them, the three Mechlord Emperors seemed to suffocate the very air around them, reigning supreme in strength as well as dominance.

Andre, still kneeling before Breo's unconscious body, cocked his head toward the three Emperors, casting his growing hatred on them as if he could pierce their eyes with his own. As Bomber placed his hand over his deck to begin his turn, he could sense that Andre was beginning to lose his cool. Knowing he needed to do something about this quickly, Bomber came to an immediate decision on how he would proceed.

**[Bomber's LP: 2200]**

**[Kiryu's LP: 2200]**

**[Andre's LP: 2200]**

**[Taro's LP: 1400]**

**[Placido's LP: 7800]**

**[Lucciano's LP: 7800]**

**[Jose's LP: 3800]**

"My turn!" Bomber drew a card and added it to his hand. He eyed his field, acknowledging the effect of his Flying Fortress, the Giant Bomber Airraid on his field. At this point in the match, their victory was the only thing that mattered. He had no need for the Trap Card he just drew from his deck, so he would utilize it to ensure that victory. "I activate the effect of Giant Bomber Airraid! By discarding a card from my hand, I destroy one card on the field!" After sending his only card in hand to the Graveyard slot of his Duel Disk, Bomber lifted his arm and pointed toward Jose. "I destroy Mechlord Emperor Infinity! Go! Death Drop!"

Jose gave a lazy scoff under his breath as the massive structure positioned itself directly above his head. Within seconds, a collage of bombs began pouring down over his field, covering him and his machine lord in a layer of thick smoke. The Duelists held their breaths, but quickly drew back in dread as the smoke cleared, revealing an unscathed Mechlord Emperor Infinity. "I don't understand," Bomber splurged. "It says nothing about being immune to card effects on Infinity's card text data!"

The three Emperors gave a light chuckle in unison, mocking Bomber's jaw-dropped expression. "That may be so, but you forget the fact that this Duel is real!" Jose said with a laugh. "We told you before that Infinity is the result of an experiment conducted in the future. Its body consists of a special alloy, different from the other Mechlords! You cannot possibly hope to destroy it with a mere effect! Your only hope is to overcome it with Attack Power, something I can assure you will never happen!"

Knowing Jose was correct in his statement, that Giant Bomber Airraid's mere 3000 Attack Power wouldn't hold a candle to the overwhelming Attack Power of the Mechlords, Bomber sulked his shoulders and gave in. "I end my turn…"

Without even announcing his turn, Andre drew his card. After looking at it for several minutes, his eyes grew darker and more determined. "I Special Summon Gigantes in Attack Mode by Banishing the Earth-Attribute Nimble Momonga from my Graveyard!" Appearing in front of the red-haired Duelist was a red-skinned ogre holding a shattered tree trunk in its clawed hand. It roared, attempting to intimidate its foes, but to no avail.

**[Gigantes: LV4/1900/1300]**

"I then set a card and end my turn!" Leaving it at that, Andre went silent once again, ignoring the bewildered stares he got from his allied Duelists.

Kiryu began to sweat as he came to a sudden realization. _"He's gone completely mad!" _he thought to himself. _"He intends to take everyone down along with the Emperors using Gigantes' effect!" _

Lucciano tossed his head back with an ear-shattering cackle. "Is this guy crazy?! Does he really think we'll attack his little Monster, knowing full well what its effect is?!" A wide grin spread across Placido's face as he watched Andre's actions. "This is testimony to the limitations of humanity. Humans are unable to bear the weight of tragedy!"

"My turn," Taro said quietly, drawing his card. He gave a heavy sigh, realizing the card he was holding would be of no help. "I pass this turn."

Placido's grin only widened as he entered his turn. "My turn!" Without even looking at the card he drew, Placido turned his sights over to Bomber's field. "We won't fall for such an obvious trap, you simpleton! There are plenty of other targets on this miserable field, like that eyesore of a fortress that keeps trying to get in our way! My Wisel has 12800 Attack Points! One swipe from its mighty sword, and even the normally unstoppable 3000 Attack Power Giant Bomber Airraid will be nothing but a stain!"

Bomber forced his eyes shut as Wisel headed right for his fortress.

**Ark Cradle**

In an isolated room in an obscure location within the doomsday structure, Jack stood face-to-face with his ally, Rua. Something was noticeably different, however, specifically the lifeless expression on the child's face. "What's the matter with you, Rua?" Jack asked, sounding increasingly concerned. "Why won't you answer me? Where is Yusei and Ruka?" The older Duelist was answered by the activation of Rua's Duel Disk, as Jack's eyes seemed to pass right through Rua's empty sockets. "No answer, huh?" Jack grumbled, activating his own Duel Disk by instinct. "I'm not sure what your issue is, but Jack Atlas will return you to your senses personally!"

Rua, holding his Duel Disk out in front of him defensively, looked up at Jack with wide, pleading eyes. "Don't do this, Jack! We don't have any reason to fight each other! We have to hurry and look for Yusei and Ruka and the others!" The Jack standing before Rua wore a devilish grin on his face, and he silently drew cards from his deck. Rua gave an exasperating sigh and tossed his hands up in the air. "Fine! I guess I'm gonna have to knock some sense into you, Jack!" The child drew his own cards and rushed into action without giving much thought.

**[Rua's LP: 4000]**

**[Jack's LP: 4000]**

"I Summon Deformer Videon in Attack Mode!" Rua called, slapping the card on his Duel Disk. A robotic creature with metallic wings fronted Rua's field.

**[Deformer Videon: LV4/1000/1000] **

"Then," Rua said as he lowered his brows, "I equip Deformer Videon with the Equipment Magic, Break! Draw!" As Rua inserted the card into his Magic/Trap Zone, his video camera robot glowed a vibrant yellow, absorbing energy from the card. "The Monster equipped with this card allows me to draw a card every time it deals you damage in battle and sends it to the Graveyard!" Rua lifted his eyes to see no change in Jack's expression. "Then," the boy continued, sounding even fiercer, "I activate Videon's effect! When in Attack Mode, Videon gains 800 Attack Points for every Equipment Card attached to it! It's got one, so it gains 800 points!"

**[Deformer Videon's ATK: 1000 - 1800]**

"I then set two cards and end my turn!" As the holographic cards formed by Rua's feet, the young boy looked increasingly disturbed by Jack's lack of response. "It's your turn, Jack! C'mon!"

On Jack's field, the blonde Duelist watched Rua's actions with raised eyebrows, confused by his utter silence. Despite how much he tried to get a reaction out of the kid, Rua remained silent and simply played his cards without even explaining their effects. Of course, Jack knew Rua's deck inside and out, but that was beside the point. "What's gotten into you, Rua? What in the world happened?" Hearing no response, Jack decided to just take his turn and hope for the best.

"Because you control a Monster while I don't, I can Normal Summon Big Piece Golem without releasing! Attack Mode!" Once the massive boulder creature headed Jack's field, he sent it into battle with a flick of his wrist.

**[Big Piece Golem: LV5/2100/0]**

"Go, Big Piece Golem! Attack Deformer Videon! Power Pressure!"

Rua scoffed at Jack's obvious move, pressing a button on his Duel Disk to activate his face-down card. "Trap, activate! Deformer Bind! As long as this card remains face-up on the field while I control a Deformer, your Monsters can't attack or change their Battle Positions!"

Jack watched as the golem creature was repelled by an invisible force field cast on Rua's side of the field. Unfazed, Jack eyed Rua's expression carefully, noting that he remained just as expressionless as ever. "He seems like he's in a trance, but he's still strategizing against me. Just what is wrong with him? Is he being controlled by Yliaster?" Jack gritted his teeth before sliding two cards into his Duel Disk. "I set two cards! Turn end!"

"Darn it! Come to your senses already, Jack!" Rua shouted, beginning to sweat. "I Summon Deformer Radicassen in Attack Mode!" A red-colored, square-shaped Monster joined Rua's robotic army.

**[Deformer Radicassen: LV4/1200/400]**

"Then," Rua continued, a card held firmly in his left hand, "I equip the Equipment Magic, Central Shield, to Deformer Videon! This card prevents me from taking Battle Damage when Videon is attacked! And you can't attack directly! And with Videon's effect, its Attack Power increases another 800 Attack Points because it has another Equip Card attached to it!"

**[Deformer Videon's ATK: 1800 - 2600]**

"Go, Deformer Videon!" Rua cried, pointing his finger toward Jack's field. "Attack Big Piece Golem! I should have more Attack Power!"

Jack saw Rua's Monster about to attack, and he wondered when Rua gave the order. Regardless, he responded by triggering the card on his field. "I activate the Trap Card, Spell of Darkness! Your Videon will now be wrapped by the chains of darkness, unable to change its Battle Position or even attack! Moreover, it loses 700 Attack Points!"

**[Deformer Videon's ATK: 2600 - 1900]**

"What?!" Rua threw his hands up over his head as the move caught him completely off guard. "When did he even place that card on the field?!" Rua turned his head toward Jack's feet, where he noticed a second face-down. "What in the world is going on here?" Heaving a sigh, Rua entered his turn's End Phase. "I end my turn."

"Are you ending your turn or not?! Answer!" Jack waited for Rua to announce the end of his turn, but the boy remained locked in his eerie silence. "Fine! It's my turn! Draw!" Jack eyed Rua's field carefully, unsure of how he should proceed. He wasn't sure what was wrong with the child, but he knew there was no way he would back down from the match. If Rua was being controlled by someone, Jack figured the best way was to smack him around a bit until he regained his consciousness. Nodding to himself, Jack came to the decision that he would no longer hold back. "Prepare yourself, Rua! Jack Atlas shows no one, children or not, mercy in his Duels! When my opponent controls two or more Monsters, I can Normal Summon Power Invader without release! I Summon it in Attack Mode!"

Rua watched as a new, incredibly muscular Monster with purple skin emerged on Jack's side of the field. "How'd he play such a powerful Monster without releasing?! Hey, Jack! You're not cheating, are you?! Answer me, will ya?!" Rua cupped his hands together and continued shouting at the older Duelist, but Jack's expression remained cold and ruthless.

**[Power Invader: LV5/2200/0]**

"Here I come, Rua! I activate the Magic Card, Trap Pause, from my hand! This card negates all Permanent Trap Cards on my opponent's field and lets me draw a card for each card negated by this effect! Your Deformer Bind is no longer in effect!" Jack drew a card from his deck as he spoke.

Rua, continuing his temper tantrum, was unaware that his Deformer Bind was now grey colored, unable to keep Jack's more powerful creatures at bay.

"Next," Jack continued, "I activate the Magic Card, Dual Summon! This card allows me to Normal Summon one additional time this turn! I Normal Summon Force Resonator in Attack Mode!"

Rua gasped as the tiny demon cloaked in green floated above Jack and his arsenal. "Hey, you really are cheating, aren't you?! How can you Normal Summon twice in one turn like that?! I've lost respect for you, Jack!"

**[Force Resonator: LV2/500/500]**

"I'm going to force you back to your senses, kid!" Jack cried, raising his arm above his head. "I'm Tuning the Level Two Tuner, Force Resonator, with the Level Five Big Piece Golem!" Jack's field lit up with an intense green light, his Monsters being surrounded by bright circle-patterns.

**(2+5=7)**

"Pulses of the new ruler, come forth from the inner depths of chaos! Synchro Summon! The proud Demon Chaos King!"

The two Monsters were replaced by a scrawny, demonic figure with fire pouring out of its body. The demon snarled through its white mask as it eyed its prey. "Oh crap!" Rua shouted, knowing full well what its effects were.

"I enter my Battle Phase!" Jack said, continuing his turn. "When Demon Chaos King attacks, its effect switches the Attack and Defense Powers of all opposing Monsters on the field!"

**[Deformer Videon: 1900/1000 - 1000/1900]**

**[Deformer Radicassen: 1200/400 - 400/1200]**

"Go, Demon Chaos King! Attack Deformer Radicassen!" The demonic, winged creature flew forward with one majestic swoop and slashed Radicassen to pieces. Rua screamed as the force from the attack sent him flying across the room.

**[Rua's LP: 4000 - 1800]**

"I'm not done yet!" Jack blurted, shooting his arm forward. "Big Piece Golem attacks your Deformer Videon! Power Pressure!"

Just as Rua got back to his feet, the mighty golem slammed its rocky body into Videon, shattering it and sending the boy on his back once again.

**[Rua's LP: 1800 - 600]**

"Turn end!" Satisfied, Jack let his arms slump back against his waist. "How about it, Rua? Have you come to your senses yet?" Jack's eyes widened when he saw Rua was still standing, unfazed, with the same gloomy look in his eyes. "You didn't even feel those attacks, you brat? What in the world is the matter with you? You haven't moved an inch since I got here!"

Just as Rua pulled himself back onto his feet, he felt a strange sensation overcome him. His vision began to blur, and his balance became unstable. "Wh-What just happened? This isn't real damage, is it?" No longer able to control his own body weight, Rua staggered backwards and nearly fell onto the ground again. After a few seconds passed, an intense pain began to spread through the boy's body, knocking the wind out of him temporarily.

Jack had been eyeing Rua curiously when the sudden ear-shattering scream caught him off guard. "That sounded like Rua!" Jack looked around the room, but was shocked to see Rua staring at him with the same beady eyes he wore earlier. "What the hell is the meaning of this?!" Jack's eyes widened as he began to panic. "Why am I hearing Rua's screams without seeing any reaction in him?!" It was then that everything made sense to the Duelist. Considering the way the match had played out so far, Jack knew it was the only possible explanation. Considering the possibility of there being real damage dealt to the players in this Duel, he realized the only way to get out of this mess was to allow Rua to damage him. But could Rua manage to damage the former King of Riding Duels in Neo Domino City? No, Jack thought to himself. He believed in Rua's potential as a Duelist, as underdeveloped it might be.

"Hey, Rua!" Jack cupped his hands together and shouted with all the might he had. "It's your turn!" When he realized Rua still could not hear him, Jack decided to wait for him to make his turn on his own, hoping he had the strength to continue playing.

Over on Rua's side, the green-haired child managed to work up the energy to draw his next card, too tired to even announce his turn. He eyed Jack's cold, grinning face with tears welling in his eyes. "What's gotten into you, Jack…? You're not the idol I've always looked up to…!" Getting his resolve back, Rua wiped away his tears and took on a more serious tone. "I swear I'm gonna bring you back to your senses, no matter what pain I have to suffer through! My turn! I Summon Deformer Scopen in Attack Mode!" Looking like a walking microscope, Rua's newest Monster took center stage.

**[Deformer Scopen: LV3/800/1400]**

Jack clicked his tongue at Rua's move, shaking his head. "C'mon, Rua! You have to do better than this if you want to damage me! That Monster is far too weak!"

"Then I activate the Magic Card, Junk Box, from my hand! Now I can Special Summon one Level Four or lower Deformer from my Graveyard until the End Phase!"

When he saw the card appear on the field, Jack's expression softened, a subtle smile coming to his face. "I knew you were capable of thinking. Go for it, kid!"

Rua looked through his Graveyard pile and selected the card he wanted. "I Special Summon Deformer Radicassen in Attack Mode!"

**[Deformer Radicassen: LV4/1200/400]**

"Here goes, Jack! I'm Tuning the Level Three Deformer Scopen with my Level Four Radicassen!"

Jack watched solemnly as the field lit up with the Synchro's green light, and his bangs cast a shadow over his eyes.

**(3+4=7)**

"Docking strength with courage to protect world peace! Synchro Summon! Envoy of Love and Justice! Power Tool Dragon!" Rua's new dragon was a gold-yellow and had various tools attached to its robotic arms and tail.

**[Power Tool Dragon: LV7/2300/2500]**

"Great job, Rua!" Jack praised, the child unable to hear him.

Rua narrowed his eyes as he began his move. "I activate Power Tool Dragon's effect! Once per turn, I can randomly add one Equipment Magic from my deck to my hand!" Rua looked down as a beam of light from his deck materialized into the Equip Spell known as Double Tool D&C. Satisfied with what he got, Rua turned his gaze back to his opponent. "I equip the Equipment Card, Double Tool D&C, to Power Tool Dragon!" The dragonish robot's body shifted slightly, and its tools transformed into a drill and a saw respectfully. "This card increases its Attack Power by 1000 points during my turn!"

**[Power Tool Dragon's ATK: 2300 - 3300]**

"Excellent," Jack said with a smile. "He was able to realize that my Demon Chaos King can only switch a Monster's stats during my Battle Phase. Take it down, Rua!"

"Go, Power Tool Dragon!" Rua shouted as he lashed his arm forward. "Attack Demon Chaos King! Crafty Break!" Power Tool Dragon let out a roar and charged its drill right into the demon's gut, tearing it apart from the inside out. Jack grunted as the pressure from the strike washed over his body, but he maintained his balance. Just as he thought, he had suffered all the damage, and he was quickly consumed by the same hellish pain that crippled Rua moments earlier.

**[Jack's LP: 4000 - 3300]**

Jack's scream echoed through the room, finally reaching Rua's ears. "Jack?! What's going on?!" Rua looked straight ahead into the stone cold eyes of the Jack in his line of vision, but he soon became suspicious of what he saw when he heard Jack's scream continue. "You're not Jack, are you?! What have you done with him?!"

As Rua spoke, the entire field before him lit up and began to shift and warp. Rua looked around in confusion as he tried his best to understand what was happening. The image of the murderous Jack Atlas began to melt away, revealing a panting, crippled Jack holding his gut and on his knees. Rua's eyes lit up when he saw this, and he tried to take a step over to his ally. The child felt a tug at his ankle, and gasped in horror when he came to the sudden realization that he had been locked to the ground with a thick, steel chain. "When did this get here?! I wasn't attached to this thing a second ago!"

"Rua," Jack managed through breaths. "Are you okay?" As he tried to get back to his feet, Jack noticed he had also been chained to the floor, just like Rua had been. "Just what kind of game are we playing here?"

In another location within the Ark Cradle, Yusei and Ruka were busy searching every room they could find for the missing Rua. Yusei noticed the fragile girl growing increasingly nervous, and he reached over and placed his hand on her arm warmly. "I know you're worried, Ruka. But I want you to trust me. I'll do everything I can to find your brother, even if it means giving up my-" Before Yusei could finish speaking, Ruka cut him off in a raised voice. "No! I don't want to lose you _or_ Rua!" Yusei's eyes widened as he watched the girl, having never seen her so worked up before. After a long pause, the older Duelist let go of her arm and accelerated his speed, Ruka's D-Pad speeding up along with it. "I understand. Then I promise to get all of us, including Jack and the others, back home safely. Mark my words." Ruka could say nothing, and she merely looked at the colorful ground below alive with Momentum energy.

**BREAK**

**Daedalus Bridge**

"Trap Card, activate!" Bomber jerked his eyes open when he heard Kiryu call out his counter. "Depth Amulet!" Placido gasped as Wisel's attack was blocked by a barricade of light. "Depth Amulet," Kiryu explained, "activates when my opponent attacks. By discarding a card from my hand, I negate that attack, under the condition that this card is destroyed during your third End Phase after its activation." Kiryu smirked as he sent the card of his choice to the Graveyard slot. Placido, looking far from impressed, motioned for Wisel to return to him. "You guys must enjoy torture. Turn end!"

"My turn!" Lucciano drew a card and added it to his hand. "Now it's time for Mechlord Imperial Castle to show you humans another piece of the future you'll destroy!" Lucciano cackled as the field lit up once again just like earlier, the surroundings warping and altering shape. The Duelists quickly found themselves amidst a chaotic barrage of explosions.

"Where are we?" Bomber asked out loud. The Emperors had no reason to respond, as the solar system and stars surrounding the group was a sufficient enough answer. "So we're in space, huh? Kiryu said with a click of his tongue, not seeming all that surprised. Taro, on the other hand, began to freak out. "How is something like this even possible?"

"Welcome to the end of the world by your own hands," Jose said in a low, raspy voice. "This is the day the Momentum destroyed most of the planet, wiping out nearly all the life on our planet."

The Duelists watched grimly as the Earth was scorched in flames by the chain of fire that wrapped around the planet like a slithering snake. "And you're saying we caused this?" Kiryu asked, staring Jose down. "How so?"

"It was your greed," Jose replied darkly. "As the world evolved, so did Dueling. And people became more and more obsessed with it. Before long, Synchro Summoning became a high-end symbol of Neo Domino City. As a result, D-Wheels and Synchro Summoning grew rapidly... and were linked with the Momentum. The Momentum's rotation speed rapidly increased as this world became more and more evolved. However, the speed in which this happened was far too quick. This happened just as the Third World War broke out, hastening the world's demise. The greed of humanity finally reached its peak! That moment, the Momentum suddenly became uncontrollable." Jose narrowed his eyes as he continued. "Almost as if it responded to the hearts of mankind. The Momentum went berserk and explosions rained over the world simultaneously, as you can see below you! Leading the world to perish!" As Jose finished speaking, the Earth became nothing but a lifeless ball of blackness, all its light dimming.

Horrified by the scene, the Duelists were then transported inside the Earth. The group now watched a tired and emotionally scarred Aporia wandering the eerily empty Neo Domino City in the bright orange light cast down from the sunset that seemed to mock the Earth with its beauty. "This is my memory in this age," Jose said, closing his eyes. "Whether by luck or misfortune, I was the one chosen by fate... As the only survivor, I wandered the world... But there was not a single person who could respond to my voice."

"Someone! _Anyone_!" Aporia bellowed into the sky to no avail. Taro felt tears welling up in his eyes, but he quickly wiped them away. "How could something like this happen?"

"But it turned out that I was not the only one who survived," Jose went on, opening his eyes once again. "It was on this fateful day, aged as I was, that I met the only true friends I ever had in this godforsaken world."

The Duelists looked below them and saw Aporia being approached by three cloaked individuals. The one to the left of the group smiled as Aporia met his eyes. "We meet again, friend." Aporia rubbed his eyes, believing he was witnessing an illusion. Once he was sure the men were in fact real, he recognized an obviously aged Paradox by the markings on his face and his unusual hairdo. "Paradox, I thought you perished when you never returned from your trip!" Paradox nodded solemnly, turning his head toward the setting sun. "The two of us tried so hard to stop the war, but we failed miserably. Ironic, though, that those men would meet their deaths while we were left to wallow in despair." The scientist finally met Aporia's eyes again, showing great sorrow and tragedy in them. "And so here we stand, the only survivors of this world. I've brought friends along with me, as you can see."

Paradox motioned toward the man wearing orange visors and the man wearing a metal mask standing beside him. "Who are these men?" Aporia asked in his weakened voice. "We are the last survivors of this world," the man with a metal mask repeated in a digital-sounding voice. "As the only ones to live, we have an important mission we must fulfill. Will you join us, friend?"

The Duelists watched Aporia shake the man's hand as the vision faded out and they were returned to the Daedalus Bridge.

"I can't believe Synchro Summoning would lead to such a tragedy," Bomber grunted, feeling various emotions swirl inside his head.

"Yusei Fudo and his friends said the same thing," Jose responded. "Cocky humans such as yourselves reject reality even when you see it firsthand."

"You keep calling us humans," Kiryu said. "If you really are the last survivors of Earth, aren't you contradicting yourselves by looking down on us humans so much?"

"We've surpassed humans!" Lucciano said with a laugh. "We're the Three Emperors of Yliaster sent here to cast judgment on you lowly humans for the sins you've committed!" Lucciano's smirk widened as he eyed Kiryu's empty field. "Out of everyone present, you're one of the cockiest I've had the pleasure of crushing, Kyosuke Kiryu! I think I'll take you down next! Go, Mechlord Emperor Skiel! Attack the former Dark Signer directly and show him how superior we are!"

**[Mechlord Emperor Skiel's ATK: 7500]**

**[Kiryu's LP: 2200]**

Lucciano's laughter rang through the air as Kiryu was consumed by a cloud of dust after being hit by Skiel's missiles. The metallic being took its place in front of its master once again, leaving its downed foe in the cloud of dust swirling about. "He's so dead he can't even scream!" Lucciano spurted through his snorting. "Kiryu!" Andre called over to his ally.

Suddenly, soft laughter cut off Lucciano's own as the dust began to settle. Kiryu remained on his feet, his figure becoming visible as his field was cleared of dust particles. "He's still alive?!" Lucciano choked on his laughter, his eyes widening. "Impossible!" Placido shook his head. "Look closer, kid."

**[Kiryu's LP: 0]**

"Oh, so the attack did get him!" Lucciano's smirk quickly returned, but Kiryu's laughter grew louder and more insane. "So the guy lost all sense of reality as he's dying, huh?" Lucciano raised an eyebrow as he shrugged Kiryu's actions off with a wave of his arm. "Kiryu, are you okay?" asked a concerned Taro.

"You said you surpassed humanity?" Kiryu asked sarcastically, his lips curling into a devilish smirk. "If that's the case, then so have I!"

"Wh-What?!" Lucciano gasped as a demonic figure covered in eyes materialized behind Kiryu, cast in a purple glow. "Wh-What the hell is that thing?! Your Life hit zero! You shouldn't even be standing, let alone making empty threats!" Placido noticed a hazy purple glow now surrounding Kiryu's body, as well as three circular objects floating above his head. "Did he regain his Dark Signer powers? But that's not possible…"

"What happened, Kiryu?" Bomber asked, taking a step closer.

"I activated the effect of Infernity Zero from my hand," Kiryu said with a chuckle. "When my Life Points hit zero, I can Special Summon this card from my hand. When this card is destroyed, I lose the Duel." Kiryu tossed his head back and began cackling once again, the dark energy around his body intensifying. "I've surpassed humanity just as you have! I'm now a Death God! The likes of you can't kill me, or my friends!"

"Im-Impossible!" Lucciano cried, Kiryu's new demeanor making him sweat a bit. "The guy's completely snapped!"

"I already died once," Kiryu said, his grin softening into a mere smile. "As the only Dark Signer to have mysteriously regained my memories after being revived by Goodwin, I wandered this world with no purpose. I made Crash Town my grave. It was Yusei who saved me and helped me find some purpose in life." As he spoke, Kiryu looked down at both of his hands solemnly. "If Yusei hadn't come to Crash Town, I would be dead right now." Narrowing his eyes, he fixated his gaze on the Emperors. "As the new mayor of the newly named Satisfaction Town! You see, I won't be satisfied if I die here! I have an important mission to carry out, starting with your deaths!" Taro and Bomber flashed their fellow Duelist an approving smile. Andre seemed bothered by Kiryu's words, and looked down at the ground at his fallen comrades in agony.

"Such nonsense!" Jose interrupted, shooting Lucciano and Placido disapproving glances. "You two should know better than to be goaded by this man's talk! Look closely at those Death Counters above his head!" Following Jose's finger, the two took notice of the three objects floating above Kiryu's head. "When those three objects light up with each 500 points of damage he takes, Infernity Zero will be destroyed, his life along with it! A mere 1500 points in the face of any of our Mechlord Emperors is nothing but a fancy illusion! With one strike, Kyosuke Kiryu, you'll be off to meet the _real_ Death God!"

Kiryu growled, irritated that Jose knew about his card. "But even so, don't just assume you'll be able to land that strike so easily!"

"Don't get cocky, you mere ant!" Jose shot back, raising his voice. "You may be a Death God, but we're the Three Emperors of Yliaster, a group that far surpasses any Death God in the Parallel Dimensions!"

"That's right, that's right!" Lucciano said with a hoot. "Don't think you can scare us with your delusional goading! I set one card and end my turn!"

"My turn!" Jose announced as he drew a new card.

**[Jose's LP: 3800]**

"Defeating you will be no difficult feat," Jose grunted, adding the card to his hand. "However, there is another conceited ant that needs to be taught a lesson before that matter!" Jose turned his attention to Andre's field. "A foolish insect who thought he could kill himself to save the rest of you using the effect of his Gigantes!" Andre gritted his teeth as Jose called him out. "But if Gigantes should be destroyed by a Card Effect before that happens, you will simply die in vain without accomplishing anything! I activate Mechlord Emperor Infinity's Monster Effect! By Banishing Infinity Conversion from my Graveyard, I destroy your Gigantes!"

"I knew you would!" Andre called out as Infinity shot a beam of light toward his field. "Counter Trap, activate! Warning of God!" Jose's eyes widened as he saw the card flip up on Andre's field. "By paying 2000 Life Points, I negate your Infinity's Monster Effect!" The light beam was eradicated before it met with its target.

**[Andre's LP: 2200 - 200]**

"Very well, then," Jose growled. "If you're going to be that stubborn about this, I'll deal with the Death God over there first! With one blow from Infinity, you'll die a second time! Go, Mechlord Emperor Infinity! Direct Attack!" Jose lashed out his bulky arm and sent his Monster charging forward. Kiryu cringed as the attack headed for his empty field. 

"Go, Different Dimension Trainer!" came Taro's shouting voice. "Defend Kiryu!"

**[Different Dimension Tamer's DEF: 2000]**

Taro's creature jumped in front of Kiryu and took the blow, shattering it to dust. "You forget that in Battle Royale format, we can either choose to attack our foes or protect them!" Taro said, narrowing his eyes.

**[Holding Hands Majin's DEF: 4800 - 2800]**

Jose scoffed, looking intense and angry at the happenings of their current match. "I end my turn."

"Thanks for the help!" Kiryu called over to Taro, who gave him a thumbs up in return. "Now then," Kiryu said as he placed his hand on his deck. "I think it's about time we pay these clowns back for their satisfaction, don't you think?!"

Andre eyed his Gigantes and hardened his expression, seeming to have come to a decision.

**BREAK**

**Ark Cradle**

Jack and Rua finally came to their senses as the room around them showed its true form; another random room in the Ark Cradle. Realizing they were bound to chains, Jack struggled to figure out what was happening. "There doesn't seem to be a Planetary Gear here at all," Jack said, gritting his teeth. "So they're trying to delay us by forcing us to fight each other? What cowards!"

"Jack," came Rua's voice from across the room. Jack turned his attention to the child, concerned for his safety. "You should defeat me and go stop the Planetary Gear," Rua said, grasping his arm in pain. Jack's eyes widened from the boy's comment. "What did you just say?! You want me to attack you knowing full well that you could be harmed?!"

"It's just," Rua started, stopping midsentence and looking away from the older Duelist, "you're far stronger than me, Jack. They're trying to cripple us to keep us from stopping the Ark Cradle and saving Yusei!" Rua looked back at Jack with big, shiny eyes. "If it's between the two of us, it makes more sense for me to fall here and for you move ahead! I don't stand a chance against Yliaster!" Tears formed in Rua's eyes as he spoke, and he looked down at the floor in shame.

"Don't be ridiculous, kid!" Rua shot his head up as Jack suddenly raised his voice. "So what if you're not that strong?!" Jack continued, narrowing his eyes. "You'll only get stronger if you continue to fight! Besides, if you stay here, who's going to protect your sister?!" Rua gasped as he thought of Ruka, but his confidence did not return. "But, I…"

"Listen to me, Rua," Jack said, calming his voice. "There isn't a single person in the world born strong. Strength comes from experience and determination. It was the same for me, Yusei, and Crow. Even Aki Izayoi went through the same process. You're still young, so don't condemn yourself so easily." Jack smiled and stretched out his hand. "So don't give up. We'll find a way to get out of this, and we'll go find the others and stop the Planetary Gear!"

Tears still in his eyes, Rua slowly nodded. "Jack…" Finding his inner determination once more, Rua wiped his tears away and straightened his posture. "But how? I don't know what's causing it, but there's Real Damage in this Duel! How do we get out of this trap without hurting each other?"

Knowing Rua was right, Jack looked down at his feet in disgust. As he tried to think of a plan, sudden clapping tore him from his thoughts. The sound of approaching footsteps filled the Duelists' ears, and they turned toward an approaching shadow from the shadowed part of the room's entrance.

"Are you two enjoying the game I've prepared for you?" came a stoic voice accompanying the footsteps. As the figure stepped out into the light, he was revealed as Paradox, dressed in his white and black leather attire. He wore a smug expression as he came closer to the two.

"You're… Paradox?!" Jack cried, remembering the brief meeting he had with him when he stole Yusei's Stardust Dragon. "How the devil are you here?! Yusei defeated you!"

"That is neither here or now," Paradox replied arrogantly. "More importantly, you two should be aware that this room has been set in Battle Royale mode from the start." Grinning, Paradox gave a wicked laugh as he lifted his arm up and activated his Duel Disk. "As I have entered the room, I am now a participant as well."

"What in the world is going on here?!" Rua cried, grabbing his face with his hand. "Just who is this dude?!" Now standing next to Rua, Jack gave a scoff. "He's nothing. According to Yusei, this guy collected powerful cards from the strongest Duelists in the past and the future. After losing, he lost all of those cards. There's no way he poses any threat to us now."

"Is that what you believe?" Paradox asked in a mocking voice. "Then I suppose we will have to put that theory to the test, won't we?" Jack and Rua lifted their Duel Disks defensively, their cards reappearing on the field. "Before we begin, I have to ask you if you figured out the _rules _of this game yet," Paradox said darkly. "What in the blazes are you talking about?!" Jack responded, clenching his fist.

"Every game has its own set of rules," Paradox continued, his smirk widening. "You may recall that slight prick you felt earlier when you two foolishly attacked the illusions I set up for you." Naturally, Jack and Rua knew exactly what Paradox was alluding to and grabbed their throbbing bodies in reflexive response. "Good," Paradox continued, chuckling. "It seems you do remember. You should know that in that moment, the two of you were injected with an experiment of mine."

"Experiment?!" Jack said, his eyes widening. "What in the hell are you on about?!"

"It's simple, really," Paradox went on. "For years, I've been trying to develop a special kind of nanobot technology that acts as a parasite and restructures the organs to be more…machine-like." Paradox's eyes flashed in a disturbing flare as he spoke. "Do you understand what that means?"

"Nanobots?" Rua repeated, beginning to sweat. "I thought those only existed in sci-fi!"

"Listen carefully, Jack Atlas," Paradox said, his eyes widening sadistically. "Should you and the boy lose this Duel, the nanobots inside your body will be instantly activated. Once that happens, they will eat away at the organs inside your body and leave you as nothing more than a shell of your former selves!"

"What…did you say?!" Jack's eyes widened in horror.

"The choice is yours," Paradox continued. "You can choose to risk everything to attack at the cost of your own lives. You should have noticed that there is no Planetary Gear inside this room. While you're idling away in here, Yusei Fudo and that little girl are headed to the final Planetary Gear. They'll be expecting you to follow suit by stopping the third, but I have no intention of allowing you to do so. I'll defeat the both of you here and intervene before they are able to do anything." Paradox gave a light laugh, flashing his teeth.

Rua looked increasingly worried, but Jack shot Paradox a glare that rivaled his own. "Shut the hell up! You're just trying to bluff your way out of a humiliating defeat, but Jack Atlas will stop you here!" Rua's eyes widened at Jack's willingness to continue the match, but he remained silent.

Paradox gave one final laugh before he drew cards from his deck. "Then allow me to show you what happens when you have little faith in what others say. I'll take my turn here! Draw!" Drawing his sixth card, Paradox eyed his hand with anticipation before selecting a card in his hand and inserting it into his Duel Disk. "I activate the Field Magic, Sin World!"

The entire room went black and seemed to reflect negative light over their bodies. Tall skyscrapers rose out of the floor and loomed high overhead. "What in the world is this?" Jack asked, looking around in confusion.

"This is a world that reflects the inner sins of humanity," Paradox said with a grin. "I'll show you your greatest sin; your pride that costs the lives of those around you!" Jack growled at his comment, and Paradox grabbed another card from his hand. "Now allow me to show you something you're sure to _enjoy_! I Banish Black Feather Dragon from my Extra Deck in order to Special Summon Sin Black Feather Dragon in Attack Mode!"

"Wh-What?!" Rua stuttered, his jaw dropping. Jack mimicked his actions. "Black Feather Dragon?! What is the meaning of this?! Explain yourself!" As Jack screamed his response, Crow's signature winged dragon appeared on the field with a roar, only this one was wearing a white mask with black stripes.

**[Sin Black Feather Dragon: LV8/2800/1600]**

Swallowing his fear, Jack interrupted Paradox with a move of his own. "Because you just Special Summoned, I can Special Summon Extra Veiler to the field! Attack Mode!" A slim warrior clad in medieval gowns appeared, tipping its large hat.

**[Extra Veiler: LV2/600/200] **

Paradox narrowed his eyes at Jack's response. "Hmph. Such stubbornness, even in this situation." His smile quickly returned and he inserted another card into his Magic/Trap Zone. "I set one card and end my turn!"

Jack noticed Rua's frightened expression and he gave him a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, Rua. I promised that we'd work together to find the others, and I meant that! Just leave this to me!" Rua, still frightened, gave his idol a slight nod. Jack turned back to Paradox and lowered his brow. "My turn! Draw!" With a fresh card in his hand, Jack continued with his turn. "I Summon the Tuner Monster, Barrier Resonator, in Attack Mode!" The small demon materialized in front of Jack, holding a lightning rod in its hand.

**[Barrier Resonator: LV1/300/800] **

"I'm going to show _you _what happens when you dare to cross paths with my burning soul! I'm Tuning my Level One Barrier Resonator with my Level Two Extra Veiler and my Level Five Power Invader!"

**(1+2+5=8)**

"The Ruler's heartbeats will now file through here! Take witness to its creation-shaking power! Synchro Summon! My very soul! Red Demon's Dragon!" Jack's demonic red-skinned dragon appeared on the field with a mighty roar, and it flashed its sharp fangs at Paradox and his rip-off Monster.

**[Red Demon's Dragon: LV8/3000/2000]**

Paradox remained calm under the gaze of the awesome dragon, but Jack did not plan to let that happen for much longer. "I still have my Demon Chaos King," he continued. "When Demon Chaos King attacks, it switches the Attack and Defense Power of all my opponent's Monsters on the field until the end of the Battle Phase! Go!"

**[Demon Chaos King's ATK: 2600] **

"Trap Card, open!" Paradox countered, revealing his set card. "Sin Claw Stream!" A blast of negative energy zapped Chaos Demon King and reduced it to ashes. "When I control a Sin Monster, this card destroys one of my opponent's Monsters on the field!"

Jack gritted his teeth, but his resolve had not been broken. "I still have one attack left! I won't let you insult Crow by using his card! I don't know what you did to him, but Jack Atlas won't forgive such disgrace!" Jack lashed out his arm as he ordered his Ace. "Red Demon's, attack Sin Black Feather Dragon! Absolute Power Force!"

Paradox grunted as the attack went through and Sin Black Feather Dragon was slashed down by Red Demon's claws. He, however, looked far from affected.

**[Paradox's LP: 4000 - 3800]**

"I end my turn!"

Paradox wiped off his shoulder and gave an obnoxious scoff. "It seems mere threats won't work against your kind. To think you would still attack, despite the fact that you're placing the child's life in forfeit." Rua shifted uncomfortably as Paradox went on. "Did you think I was bluffing? Are you so arrogant that you can't even spare a shred of remorse for the one you call your comrade?"

Jack hesitated for a moment as he looked over at Rua, who was beginning to shiver. "You're wrong!" he countered, shaking his fist out in front of him. "I'm not attacking you to put Rua's life at risk! I'm attacking you because I have absolute confidence that I'll crush you with one swipe of my fist!"

"Confidence is the same as arrogance, you fool!" Paradox shouted, cutting Jack off. "Regardless of what your intentions were, it does not change the fact that you chose to ignore the consequences of your actions due to your own selfish beliefs!" Paradox narrowed his eyes and went on. "The fact that you and your friends boarded this Ark Cradle is the very proof that you care not about the future, but about your own selfish desires! Had you any remorse for your actions, you would have obediently stayed put and let the Ark Cradle crush you along with Neo Domino City!"

"Shut up!" Rua suddenly shouted, throwing Paradox off guard. "Me and Ruka came here knowing full well that our lives were in danger! Don't think you can use us as shields just because we're kids, you mad scientist!"

Paradox shot Rua a surprised glare before shifting to a more disrespectful one. "It seems I underestimated you just because you were a child. I suppose it's already too late for you as well, brat." A smirk came back to Paradox's face as his tone shifted to a darker one. "I no longer plan to wait for you to do yourselves in. I'll kill you both without hesitation to save the future!" Paradox then took two blank cards out of his hand and held them out in front of him. "This is the end of you!"

Jack gasped as he immediately recognized the card. Before he could say anything, Power Tool Dragon and Red Demon's Dragon were zapped by a purple energy and absorbed inside the cards. "I-Impossible!" Rua cried. "He absorbed our Monsters?!" Unable to do anything, Rua drew a card and passed his turn.

Paradox gave a long, triumphant laugh as the cards in his hands transformed, now holding the images of Power Tool and Red Demon's. "I'll hold onto these for later! For now, I'll let you experienced the hellish flames of your own friend! My turn! Using the effect of Sin World, I can skip my Draw Phase and add a Sin Monster from my deck into my hand!" After carrying out this move, Paradox held the new card he added with a wide, distorted smile. "I Banish Black Rose Dragon from my Extra Deck to Special Summon Sin Black Rose Dragon in Attack Mode!" Aki's Signer Dragon, a black dragon with red rose-like feathers, appeared in front of Paradox with a screech, wearing a black and white mask.

**[Sin Black Rose Dragon: LV7/2400/1800]**

"Using Sin Black Rose Dragon's effect, I destroy it along with every card on the field! Go! Black Rose Gale!" Black Rose gave a cry as a purple flame emitted from its body and incinerated itself and everything else on the field. Jack and Rua could only widen their eyes at the sudden development, as they were now left with nothing to protect themselves.

"Thanks to the modifications I made," Paradox said, "Sin World is immune to destruction from Card Effects! I'll continue my move by Banishing Cyber End Dragon and Rainbow Dragon from my deck in order to Special Summon Sin Cyber End Dragon and Sin Rainbow Dragon!" The metallic serpent-like dragon and the colorful dragon in the shades of the rainbow materialized on the field, each wearing masks of their own.

**[Sin Cyber End Dragon: LV10/4000/2800]**

**[Sin Rainbow Dragon: LV10/4000/0]**

The room was filled with screams from Jack and Rua as the two dragons blasted them with negative energy and sent them flying across the room.

**[Rua's LP: 600 - 0]**

**[Jack's LP: 3300 - 0]**

Paradox, with his back turned to the two, headed toward the room's entrance. "Be thankful that I actually _was_ bluffing," Paradox said in a dark tone. "That's one of the inventions I never actually had the time to finish." The mad scientist turned to face the two motionless bodies one last time while he walked through the doorway. "Just lie there and wait for the Ark Cradle to destroy your home. In the meantime, I will dispose of Yusei Fudo and that little girl with my own two hands, using the trophies I claimed from you." As he exited, Paradox flashed his arm to reveal the wing birthmark of the Crimson Dragon along with Crow's tail and Aki's foot.

Jack and Rua laid unconscious on the hard floor of the Ark Cradle as the lights were shut off, the room going pitch black.

**BREAK**

**Daedalus Bridge**

"My turn! Draw!" Kiryu added a card to his hand and immediately played it. "I Summon Infernity Necromancer in Defense Mode!" As he slapped the card onto his Duel Disk, a robed demonic figure lead Kiryu's party.

**[Infernity Necromancer: LV3/0/2000]**

"Because I have no cards left in my hand, I can use its effect to Special Summon Infernity Beast from my Graveyard in Defense Mode!"

**[Infernity Beast: LV3/1600/1200]**

"Turn end!" Kirtyu nodded to Bomber, who proceeded to draw a card of his own. "My turn! I discard the Spell Card I just drew to destroy Mechlord Emperor Wisel with Giant Bomb Airraid's effect!"

"Not so fast!" Placido cut in. "I activate my Trap Card, Grave of the Super Ancient Organism!" Giant Bomber Airraid was stopped in its tracks and sealed up in a see-through crystral substance. "What?!" Bomber spurted, taken back by the counter. "As long as this card remains on the field," Placido said with a grin, "all Level Six or higher Special Summoned Monsters cannot declare an attack or activate their effects! That means all of your High-Level Monsters will be utterly useless to you if you Special Summon them! On the contrary, our Mechlord Emperors are Level Ones, so this doesn't apply to us!" Frustrated, Bomber ended his turn and passed the baton along to Andre.

"My turn!" Andre began, narrowing his eyes. "I Summon Voltic Kong in Attack Mode!" The electrical ape leaped onto the field, pounding its chest and sending lightning bolts bouncing off of its body onto the ground below its feet.

**[Voltic King: LV4/1800/1000]**

Andre then turned to his allies and gave them a confident smile. "I'm counting on you guys to inherit the will of Team Unicorn." The other three Duelists gasped, their fears becoming a reality. "Don't you dare, Andre!" Kiryu shouted. "You don't need to sacrifice yourself like this!"

Andre ignored their cries and continued with his turn. "I use Gigantes to attack Mechlord Emperor Wisel!" With a thrust of his arm, Andre sent his Monster to its impending doom.

**[Gigantes' ATK: 1900]**

**[Mechlord Emperor Wisel's ATK: 12800]**

"Damn," Placido growled as his Wisel countered and destroyed the weaker Monster. Andre gave the emperors a pained grin as pain washed over his body and brought him to his knees. "When Gigantes is destroyed, it destroys all Magic and Trap Cards on the field! That means your Mechlord Imperial Castle and your Grave of the Super Ancient Organism are destroyed along with all of your other set cards!"

"Even so," Lucciano said with a twisted expression, "this destroys your allies' cards as well! It's the same on both ends! Your sacrifice means nothing!"

Taro took the greatest blow of all, his Scrum Force Trap Card being destroyed along with all the others. Now his Key Mace was at risk of being destroyed. His grip tightened on the card he held in his hand, and he realized he had no choice but to reveal it. Still, he would not let Andre's sacrifice go in vain despite the disadvantage this move put him at.

"We've inherited your will," Kiryu said with a reassuring smile. Andre gave one last weakened smile before he fell face-down onto the hard pavement ground.

**[Andre's LP: 200 - 0]**

"Impudent fool," Jose grumbled. "Even if you stall for time, the end result will be the same! This I can assure you!"

A fierce wind blew over the field as the remaining Duelists was lessoned yet again to just three versus three.

**BREAK**

**Ark Cradle**

Back in the outskirts of the Ark Cradle, Ruka and Yusei stopped to catch their breaths, their search for Rua turning up no results.

"How could he have just disappeared?" Ruka sighed, looking down at the floor. Yusei shook his head, unsettled by the situation. "This is a massive structure that we are unfamiliar with. It's possible he could have gotten lost. I didn't want to bother the others during their battles, but perhaps it would be best if we alert them of the situation. I don't want Rua left behind in the enemy's territory."

"That will not be necessary," came Paradox's booming voice. Yusei and Ruka turned toward the direction of the voice, coming from a platform several feet above them. "All of your friends, including the boy, are no longer conscious. Calling them will prove to be a futile act."

Yusei's eyes widened and his jaw dropped at the man standing above him. "You're…Paradox! But that's impossible! I saw you destroyed with my own eyes!" Paradox gave a soft chuckle as he jumped down onto equal footing with the two. "Never mind that, Yusei Fudo. If you want to find your friends and stop this Ark Cradle, you will have to defeat me first!" Paradox activated his Duel Disk and stood a good ten feet away from Yusei and Ruka along the narrow ledges of the Ark Cradle. A massive drop awaited anyone unfortunate enough to slip off of the platform.

"You're the one who hurt Rua?!" Ruka grew fiercer than usual and activated her own pink Duel Disk. She turned to Yusei and gave him an urging nod. "Yusei, let's work together and finish this quickly so we can go find Rua and the others!" Yusei, surprised at Ruka's sudden change in attitude, followed suit and activated his own Duel Disk. "Right. I'm counting on your support!"

"Duel!" the three shouted simultaneously.

**[Paradox's LP: 4000]**

**[Ruka's LP: 4000]**

**[Yusei's LP: 4000]**

"The first turn belongs to me," Paradox said, drawing his card. "I activate the Magic Card known as Sin Calling from my hand! This lets me add one Sin World Field Spell from my deck to my hand! I then activate it!" With the card Sin World once again inserted into Paradox's Field Spell Zone, the negative world of skyscrapers once again dominated the field. Yusei, recognizing the card, held out a hand in front of Ruka defensively. "This card is very dangerous," he told her, giving her a stern look. "I'm fine with you supporting me, but don't be reckless." Ruka nodded, and Paradox went on with his turn.

"Yusei Fudo," Paradox said with a toothy grin, "don't think I'm the same as when we last fought. I've made considerable changes to my deck in order to take revenge on you for what you did in our last encounter! I'll show you right now! I Bainsh Guardian Eatos from my deck in order to Special Summon Sin Guardian Eatos in Attack Mode!" A masked woman wearing tribal-like robes appeared on the field, flapping angelic wings.

**[Sin Guardian Eatos: LV8/2500/2000]**

"There's more where that came from!" he continued. "I Banish Elemental Hero Flame Wingman from my Extra Deck in order to Special Summon Sin Elemental Hero Flame Wingman in Attack Mode!" Joining Eatos was a masked classic Fusion Monster with demonic and angelic features. Its clawed hand held the image of a dragon.

**[Sin Elemental Hero Flame Wingman: LV6/2100/1200]**

"I set one card face-down and end my turn!"

Ruka gave Yusei a nod, and he nodded back, letting her take the first move. "My turn! Draw!" With lowered brows, Ruka's voice sounded tense and uncharacteristic of her usually gentle persona. "I activate the Continuous Magic Card, Sealing Swords of Light, to stop you from attacking for three turns!" Paradox scoffed as his Monsters were locked in by a group of lighted swords. "Next," Ruka continued, "I Summon Sunlight Unicorn in Attack Mode!" Ruka's blue-flaming unicorn galloped in front of her with a majestic neigh.

**[Sunlight Unicorn: LV4/1800/1000]**

"Once per turn, Sunlight Unicorn lets me see the top card of my deck. If it's a Magic Card, I add the card to my hand. If it's not, it goes to the bottom of the deck." Ruka drew the card and seemed pleased with it. "I add the Equip Spell, Horn of the Unicorn, to my hand. I then activate it!" Ruka slipped the card into her Spell/Trap Zone. "Horn of the Unicorn increases the Attack and Defense Power of my Sunlight Unicorn by 700 points!" As she spoke, the horn on the unicorn's head grew in length and seemed to shine a bright white.

**[Sunlight Unicorn: 1800/1000 - 2500/1700]**

"I set one card and end my turn!" Ruka wiped sweat from her forehead, finally taking a chance to calm her angered emotions as she let Yusei take over.

Yusei placed his hand over his deck, but suddenly stopped and looked back up at Paradox. "Just tell me one thing, Paradox," Yusei said in a calm, stoic voice. "How did you survive?"

Paradox lowered his brows and gave a sigh. "If you really need to know, I'll tell you the truth behind everything I have witnessed." Closing his eyes, Paradox's tone loosened slightly, as he sounded less intense. "That day, I was killed at the hands of you, Yugi Mutou, and Judai Yuki in our Duel. My spirit was sent wandering the threshold between the Parallel Worlds, an unfortunate side effect of my time traveling experiments. It was a world unlike anything I had ever seen before. With each step I took in the desolate sandy dessert-red as far as the eyes could see-I could feel overwhelming tragedy consume my very being. It was truly a place worse than Hell itself."

Yusei and Ruka listened intently, trying to picture the world he spoke of. Paradox tightened his fist and continued speaking, closing his eyes. "Just when I had lost all hope, I encountered _him_. It was thanks to that masked boy that I was able to return to this dimension to track you down, Yusei Fudo."

Thinking back to the day he spoke of, Paradox recalled the face of the boy he spoke of, who had an iron mask covering most of his wicked features, and a noticeably missing left eye that was blocked out by a red gem.

"_Who are you?" _Paradox had stammered, weakened from the intense heat and lack of water and food.

The masked boy gave an eerie smile accompanied by an obnoxious giggle. _"Ah, a name," _he said through his giggles. _"I used to have something like that. I guess it's inconvenient not having a name when someone addresses you, huh?" _The boy seemed to be lost in thought for a few minutes as he tapped his fingers along the metal of his mask. _"Oh, I know!" _he said, sounding like he just had a revelation. _"From today on, I'll be called Tron! It's nice to meet you, Mr. Lost Soul!"_

Paradox gave a puzzled stare, too weak to argue with his odd way of talking to him. _"Tron…Where are we? Do you know how to escape from this Hell?"_

"_Oh?" _Tron's grin widened as he examined Paradox's beaten and sore body. _"So you're one of the few souls brave enough to try and escape from this Varian World, are you?" _Tron gave a giggle and reached out his hand. _"I like you! It just so happens that I'm also headed to where we need to go myself! Care to join me, Mr. Lost Soul?" _As Paradox took the boy's hand, Tron cocked an eyebrow. _"Oh, that's right. It must also be inconvenient for me to not know your name as well. What's your name, Mr. Lost Soul?"_

"_Paradox," _the scientist responded, tightening his grip on the boy's hand. _"The man who will reshape the world." _

Tron gave a good, long laugh as he lead Paradox toward a castle in the distance, covered by thick, red dust. _"A man named Paradox who intends to reshape the world? How ironic! I really like you, Paradox!"_

"_Where exactly are we going?" _Paradox interrupted, ignoring the boy's comment. Tron gave a light chuckle as he pointed toward the castle. _"There's someone staying in that castle that we need to see! He's the only man with the knowledge to escape the Varian World!"_

"_Then guide me there."_

"_Do you also have someone you want revenge against?" _Tron asked, holding a wide grin. _"The rumor says that this man won't help you unless he approves of you."_

"_The hatred I hold in my heart rivals anyone he's ever met," _Paradox said with a growl, letting go of Tron's hand and walking ahead of him

"_It's not nice to walk in front of others, Paradox." _

**With multiple lives on the line, the Ark Cradle continues its descent as Paradox stalls Team 5D's! What is his scheme?! **

**To be continued in Chapter 6: "Genius VS Genius" **

**Cards used in chapter (In order of appearance):**

**Giant Bomber Airraid (OCG: Flying Fortress SKY FIRE)**

**WIND**

**Level 8**

**Machine/Effect**

**3000/2500**

**This card can only be Special Summoned with "Delta Reactor" or "Summon Reactor****・****AI". Once per turn, you can send 1 card from your hand to the Graveyard to destroy 1 card your opponent controls. Once during each of your opponent's turns, you can activate 1 of the following effects:**

● **When your opponent Normal Summons or Special Summons a monster, destroy it and inflict 800 damage to your opponent.**

● **When your opponent Sets a card, destroy it and inflict 800 damage to your opponent.**

**Mechlord Emperor Wisel (OCG: Meklord Emperor Wisel)**

**DARK**

**Level 1**

**Machine/Effect**

**2500/2500**

**Other monsters you control cannot attack. Once per turn, you can select and equip 1 face-up Synchro Monster your opponent controls to this card. This card gains ATK equal to the combined ATK of all Synchro Monsters equipped to it and all other face-up "Wisel", "Skiel", and "Grannel" monsters you control. When this card is destroyed, destroy all monsters you control.**

**Wisel Top**

**DARK**

**Level 1**

**Machine/Effect**

**500/0**

**If you do not control a face-up "Mechlord Emperor" monster, destroy this card.**

**Wisel Attack 3**

**DARK**

**Level 3**

**Machine/Effect**

**1600/0**

**You can Tribute 1 "Wisel Attack" to Special Summon this card from your hand. If you do not control a face-up "Mechlord Emperor" monster, destroy this card. During battle between an attacking "Mechlord Emperor" monster you control and a Defense Position monster whose DEF is lower than the ATK of the attacking monster, inflict piercing damage to your opponent.**

**Mechlord Emperor Skiel ∞ (OCG: Meklord Emperor Skiel)**

**WIND**

**Level 1**

**Machine/Effect**

**2200/2200**

**Other monsters you control cannot attack. Once per turn, you can equip 1 face-up Synchro Monster your opponent controls to this card. This card gains ATK equal to the combined ATK of all Synchro Monsters equipped to it and all other face-up "Wisel","Skiel", and "Grannel" monsters you control. When this card is destroyed, destroy all monsters you control.**

**Skiel Top**

**WIND**

**Level 1**

**Machine/Effect**

**600/0**

**If you do not control a face-up "Mechlord Emperor" monster, destroy this card.**

**Skiel Attack**

**WIND**

**Level 1**

**Machine/Effect**

**1000/0**

**If you do not control a face-up "Mechlord Emperor" monster, destroy this card.**

**Skiel Guard**

**WIND**

**Level 1**

**Machine/Effect**

**200/300**

**If you do not control a face-up "Mechlord Emperor" monster, destroy this card. Once per turn, when a monster you control is selected as an attack target, you can negate the attack.**

**Skiel Carrier**

**WIND**

**Level 1**

**Machine/Effect**

**400/0**

**If you do not control a face-up "Mechlord Emperor" monster, destroy this card.**

**Infinite Spirit Machine**

**Permanent Trap**

**Whenever you take damage, place 1 Aura Counter on this card for each multiple of 100 points of damage you take.**

**Mechlord Imperial Castle (OCG: Meklord Fortress)**

**Field Spell**

**Face-up "Mechlord Emperor" monsters you control cannot be targeted by the effects of Synchro Monsters. When this card on the field is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, you can add 1 "Mechlord Emperor" monster from your Deck to your hand.**

**Wisel Guard 3**

**DARK**

**Level 3**

**Machine/Effect**

**0/2000**

**If you do not control a face-up "Mechlord Emperor" monster, destroy this card. When another monster you control is selected as an attack target, you can switch the target to this card instead. Once per turn, this card cannot be destroyed by battle.**

**Mechlord Emperor Infinity**

**DARK**

**Level 1**

**Machine/Effect**

**0/2000**

**When you have at least five Mechlord Emperor cards in your Graveyard, you can Special Summon this card from your hand in face-up Attack Mode. Other monsters you control cannot attack. Once per turn, you can select and equip 1 face-up Synchro Monster your opponent controls to this card. This card gains ATK equal to the combined ATK of all Synchro Monsters equipped to it. Once per turn, you can equip a Mechlord Emperor card from your hand to this card and increase its ATK by the total ATK and DEF of the equipped card. Once per turn, Banish one card in your Graveyard in order to destroy one card on the field. When this card is destroyed, destroy all monsters you control.**

**Grannel Top 5 (OCG: Granel Top 5)**

**EARTH**

**Level 5**

**Machine/Effect**

**500/2000**

**If you do not control a face-up "Mechlord Emperor" monster, destroy this card. Once per turn, you can equip 1 face-up Synchro Monster your opponent controls to a face-up "Mechlord Emperor" monster you control.**

**Gigantes**

**EARTH**

**Level 4**

**Rock/Effect**

**1900/1300**

**This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card can only be Special Summoned by removing from play 1 EARTH monster in your Graveyard. When this card is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard, destroy all Spell and Trap Cards on the field.**

**Deformer Videon (OCG: Morphtronic Videon)**

**LIGHT**

**Level 4**

**Machine/Effect**

**1000/1000**

● **While in Attack Position: This card gains 800 ATK for each Equip Card equipped to it. ● While in Defense Position: This card gains 800 DEF for each Equip Card equipped to it.**

**Break! Draw!**

**Equip Spell**

**When the monster equiped with this card destroys an opponent's monster by battle, draw 1 card from your Deck. After using this effect 3 times, destroy this card.**

**Deformer Bind (OCG: Morphtronic Bind)**

**Permanent Trap**

**While you control a face-up "Deformer" monster, all Level 4 or higher monsters your opponent controls cannot attack or change their battle positions.**

**Deformer Radicassen (OCG: Moprhtronic Boomboxen)**

**EARTH**

**Level 4**

**Machine/Effect**

**1200/400**

● **While in Attack Position: This card can attack twice during each Battle Phase. ● While in Defense Position: Once per turn, when a face-up "Deformer" monster you control is selected as an attack target, you can negate that attack.**

**Central Shield**

**Equip Spell**

**If a monster you control is attacked, except the equipped monster, you take no Battle Damage from that battle. Your opponent cannot attack directly.**

**Spell of Darkness (OCG: Shadow Spell)**

**Permanent Trap**

**Target 1 face-up monster your opponent controls; it loses 700 ATK, also it cannot attack or change its battle position. When it leaves the field, destroy this card.**

**Power Invader**

**DARK**

**Level 5**

**Fiend/Effect**

**2200/0**

**If your opponent controls 2 or more monsters, you can Normal Summon this card without Tributing.**

**Trap Pause**

**Spell**

**Negate all your opponent's face-up Continuous Trap Card effect(s), until the End Phase. Then you draw 1 card for each card that has its effect negated this way.**

**Dual Summon (OCG: Double Summon)**

**Spell**

**You can Normal Summon 1 additional time this turn. You can only gain this effect once per turn.**

**Force Resonator**

**WATER**

**Level 2**

**Fiend/Tuner/Effect**

**500/500**

**Activate by sending this card you control to the Graveyard. When 1 Synchro Monster you control attacks, your opponent cannot activate the effects of Spells, Traps, or Monsters that target that monster.**

**Demon Chaos King (OCG: Chaos King Archfiend)**

**DARK**

**Level 7**

**Fiend/Synchro/Effect**

**2600/2600**

**1 Fiend-Type Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner monsters**

**When this card declares an attack, you can switch the ATK and DEF of all face-up monsters your opponent controls, until the end of the Battle Phase.**

**Deformer Scopen (OSC: Morphtronic Scopen)**

**LIGHT**

**Level 3**

**Machine/Tuner/Effect**

**800/1400**

● **While in Attack Position: Once per turn, you can Special Summon 1 Level 4 "Deformer" monster from your hand. Destroy it during the End Phase. ● While in Defense Position: While this card is in face-up Defense Position, it is Level 4.**

**Junk Box**

**Spell**

**Select and Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower "Deformer" monster from your Graveyard. Destroy it during the End Phase.**

**Power Tool Dragon**

**EARTH**

**Level 7**

**Machine/Synchro/Effect**

**2300/2500**

**1 Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner monsters**

**Once per turn, you can randomly select 1 Equip Spell Card from your Deck and add it to your hand. Shuffle your Deck afterwards. You can send an Equip Spell Card you control to the Graveyard to prevent 1 monster you control from being destroyed.**

**Double Tool D&C**

**Equip Spell**

**Equip only to a "Power Tool Dragon" or Level 4 or higher Machine-Type "Deformer" monster you control. While equipped: ● During your turn: It gains 1000 ATK. If it attacks, any effects of the attack target that activate or apply on the field are negated during that Battle Phase. ● During your opponent's turn: Your opponent cannot select a monster other than the equipped monster as an attack target. An opponent's monster that battles the equipped monster is destroyed at the end of the Damage Step.**

**Depth Amulet**

**Permanent Trap**

**When an opponent's monster declares an attack, you can discard 1 card from your hand to the Graveyard to negate the attack. This card is destroyed during your opponent's 3rd End Phase after activation.**

**Infernity Zero**

**DARK**

**Level 1**

**Fiend/Effect**

**0/0**

**This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card cannot be Special Summoned except by discarding all other cards in your hand when your Life Points become 0. While this card is face-up on the field, you cannot lose the Duel. This card cannot be destroyed by battle. If you would take 500 or more damage, place 1 Death Counter on this card for each multiple of 500 damage you would have taken. When there are 3 Death Counters on this card, destroy this card.**

**Warning of God (OCG: Solemn Warning)**

**Counter Trap**

**When a monster would be Summoned, OR when a Spell Card, Trap Card or Effect Monster's effect is activated that includes an effect that Special Summons a monster(s): Pay 2000 Life Points; negate the Summon OR activation, and destroy that card.**

**Different Dimension Trainer (OCG: D.D. Trainer)**

**DARK**

**Level 1**

**Fiend**

**100/2000**

**Holding-Hands Majin**

**DARK**

**Level 4**

**Fiend/Effect**

**You can only control 1 "Holding-Hands Majin". Your opponent cannot target other face-up monsters you control for an attack. While this card is in face-up Defense Position, it gains DEF equal to the total DEF of every other face-up monster you control.**

**Sin World (OCG: Malefic World)**

**Field Spell**

**During your Draw Phase, you can add 1 random "Sin" monster card from your Deck to your hand instead of conducting a normal draw. If you control a face-up "Sin" monster, no monsters you control can attack, except "Sin" monsters.**

**Sin Black Feather Dragon**

**DARK**

**Level 8**

**Dragon/Effect**

**2800/1600**

**This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card cannot be Special Summoned except by sending "Black Feather Dragon" from your Extra Deck to your Graveyard. Whenever you would take damage from a card effect, place 1 Black Feather Counter on this card instead. This card loses 700 ATK for each Black Feather Counter on it. Once per turn, you can remove all Black Feather Counters on this card to have 1 face-up monster your opponent controls lose 700 ATK for each Black Feather Counter, and inflict damage to your opponent equal to the ATK lost by that monster because of this effect. If "Sin World" is not face-up on the field, destroy this card.**

**Extra Veiler**

**LIGHT  
>Level 2<strong>

**Spellcaster/Effect**

**600/200**

**When your opponent Special Summons a monster(s), you can Special Summon this card from your hand. During the turn this card is Special Summoned by this effect, your opponent takes any effect damage you would have taken from their card effects, instead.**

**Barrier Resonator**

**LIGHT**

**Level 1**

**Fiend/Tuner/Effect**

**300/800**

**During either player's turn, you can send this card from your hand to the Graveyard to select 1 face-up Tuner monster you control. Until the End Phase, that monster cannot be destroyed by battle, and you take no Battle Damage from battles involving that monster.**

**Red Demon's Dragon (OCG: Red Dragon Archfiend)**

**DARK**

**Level 8**

**Dragon/Synchro/Effect**

**3000/2000**

**1 Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner monsters**

**After damage calculation, when this card attacks a Defense Position monster your opponent controls: Destroy all Defense Position monsters your opponent controls. During your End Phase: Destroy all other monsters you control that did not declare an attack this turn. Monsters Summoned after your Battle Phase are excluded from this effect. This card must also remain face-up on the field to activate and to resolve this effect.**

**Sin Claw Stream (OCG: Malefic Claw Stream)**

**Trap**

**Activate only if you control a face-up "Malefic" Synchro Monster. Select 1 monster your opponent controls, and destroy it**

**Sin Black Rose Dragon**

**DARK**

**Level 7**

**Dragon/Effect**

**2400/1800**

**This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card cannot be Special Summoned except by sending "Black Rose Dragon" from your Extra Deck to your Graveyard. When this card is Special Summoned, you can destroy all cards on the field. Once per turn, you can remove from play 1 Plant-Type monster from your Graveyard and select 1 monster your opponent controls. Its ATK becomes 0 until the End Phase. (If the selected monster is in Defense Position, change it to Attack Position.) If "Sin World" is not face-up on the field, destroy this card.**

**Sin Cyber End Dragon (OCG: Malefic Cyber End Dragon)**

**DARK**

**Level 10**

**Machine/Effect**

**4000/2800**

**This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card can only be Special Summoned by sending 1 "Cyber End Dragon" from your Extra Deck to the Graveyard. During battle between this attacking card and a Defense Position monster whose DEF is lower than the ATK of this card, inflict the difference as Battle Damage to your opponent. If "Sin World" is not face-up on the field, destroy this card.**

**Sin Rainbow Dragon (OCG: Malefic Rainbow Dragon)**

**DARK**

**Level 10**

**Dragon/Effect**

**4000/0**

**This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card can only be Special Summoned by sending 1 "Rainbow Dragon" from your Deck to your Graveyard. If "Sin World" is not face-up on the field, destroy this card. You can send all "Sin" monsters you control to the Graveyard to have this card gain 1000 ATK for each one. You can remove from play all "Sin" monsters in your Graveyard to return all cards on the field to their owner's Deck.**

**Infernity Beast**

**DARK**

**Level 3**

**Beast/Effect**

**1600/1200**

**If this card attacks while you have no cards in your hand, your opponent cannot activate Spell or Trap Cards until after the Damage Step.**

**Voltic Kong**

**LIGHT**

**Level 4**

**Beast/Effect**

**1800/1000**

**When this card inflicts Battle Damage to your opponent: Send 1 card from the top of your opponent's Deck to the Graveyard for each face-up LIGHT monster you control.**

**Sin Calling**

**Spell**

**Add 1 "Sin World" Field Spell from your deck to your hand.**

**Sin Guardian Eatos**

**DARK**

**Level 8**

**Fairy/Effect**

**2500/2000**

**This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card can only be Special Summoned by sending 1 "Guardian Eatos" from your Deck to your Graveyard. You can send 1 Equip Spell Card equipped to this card to the Graveyard to remove from play cards from the top of your opponent's Graveyard until you reveal a non-Monster Card. This card gains ATK equal to the total ATK of the monsters removed by this effect, until the End Phase. When this card is destroyed by battle, you can Special Summon one Guardian Deathscythe from your Deck in Defense Position to your field. You can then equip one Reaper Scythe - Deathscythe from your Deck to it. If "Sin World" is not face-up on the field, destroy this card.**

**Sin Elemental Hero Flame Wingman**

**DARK**

**Level 6**

**Warrior/Effect**

**2100/1200**

**This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card can only be Special Summoned by sending 1 "Elemental Flame Wingman" from your Extra Deck to your Graveyard. When this card destroys a monster by battle and sends it to the Graveyard, inflict damage to your opponent equal to the ATK of the destroyed monster. If "Sin World" is not face-up on the field, destroy this card.**

**Sealing Swords of Light (OCG: Swords of Revealing Light)**

**Spell**

**Flip all monsters your opponent controls face-up. This card remains on the field for 3 of your opponent's turns. While this card is face-up on the field, monsters your opponent controls cannot declare an attack.**

**Sunlight Unicorn**

**LIGHT**

**Level 4**

**Beast/Effect**

**1800/1000**

**Once per turn, during your Main Phase, you can reveal the top card of your Deck. If it is a Spell Card, add it to your hand. If it is not, place it on the bottom of your Deck.**

**Horn of the Unicorn**

**Equip Spell**

**The equipped monster gains 700 ATK and DEF. When this card is sent from the field to the Graveyard: Return it to the top of the Deck.**


	6. The Paradox

**Yu-Gi-Oh! Ark Cradle Rewrite**

**Chapter 6: "The Paradox"**

**[b]Note: Yes, I changed the title of the chapter despite having a different title in the preview. This chapter went a bit differently than originally planned, so I felt this title works a lot better.[/b]**

As Paradox followed the mysterious masked boy calling himself Tron, he took a moment to carefully observe his surroundings. From the moment he had arrived in this desolate world, he could barely make out his own two hands out in front of his face due to the severe sand storms that dominated the region. As they approached a rather large castle in the distance, Paradox noticed the sand storms beginning to dissipate, which allowed him a clearer view of the area. Unfortunately for him, though, actually seeing the world he was trapped in only drowned his spirit even further with despair. What surrounded him was literally nothing. For as far as his eyes allowed him to see, there was nothing but sand drier than bone and a dark sky so red one would think it to be painted in blood. After following Tron in complete silence for the past 30 minutes, Paradox finally cracked his dry lips to speak. "Tell me, boy," he started, swallowing hard due to his dried throat, "what exactly is this place?

Tron stopped in his tracks, pausing briefly before turning to face the older android. "Not 'where', but 'when'," Tron responded, his lips curling up into a devious smirk. "All I know is that this world is called the Barian World, a void that exists between the fabrics of reality." Tron's grin faded as he took on a darker disposition. "Not only that, but if you stay here for an extended period of time, you are slowly eaten away." Tron raised his hand to his eyes as he spoke, his eyes reflecting a subtle sadness that Paradox picked up on. Paradox decided it would be best not to delve too deeply into the boy's past or what he experienced. After all, it made little difference to either Tron or him how they arrived in this world. All that mattered was finding a way to escape.

"This person we're going to see…" Paradox's voice trailed off briefly as he turned his gaze up toward the distant castle. "What can you tell me about this man?" Tron sighed, turning his back to the scientist once again. "I've only heard rumors, but I do know the man has existed here even before I arrived here. It's difficult to tell time in a timeless world, but I'd say I've been here about four years or so now. It's safe to assume the man we're going to see has been here far longer." Tron started to walk again, prompting Paradox to follow as well. "I'm sure the answers we're both searching for will lie within that castle…"

Paradox lowered his eyes to the sandy ground below his tattered shoes. His mind began to wander once again as the two travelers fell into silence yet again. After all, what was there to talk about? Neither of them felt like talking about their pasts, nor did they intend on becoming friends. Paradox released a soft sigh as he thought about his own past. After suffering in the ruined future along with his friends, he was the first of the group to die of old age. When he came to again, he had taken on the form he currently possessed now, his mind reawakened within the android body Z-one built. Soon after, Z-one sent Paradox into the present world to dispose of the Duel Monsters card game. To accomplish this, his task was to kill Pegasus J. Crawford, the creator of Duel Monsters, and alter the past. His mission failed when he was defeated by Yugi Mutou, Judai Yuki, and Yusei Fudo. After suffering such humiliation, he managed to save himself from destruction by jumping into a time warp. Because of his hasty response, he did not have enough time to test the time warp before entering, and thus ended up trapped in this Barian World as a result. The question he had now was…how. Even as intelligent a scientist he was, he could not fathom how such a thing could happen.

As Paradox contemplated several possible theories in his head, he quickly snapped out of it when he realized he was standing at the foot of the castle alongside Tron. The masked boy gave a soft chuckle before motioning for him to follow closely. Paradox watched the boy carefully as he navigated their way through the front of the castle and the various traps that were laid out for them. Paradox quickly realized that whoever the man was residing within this castle, he obviously had a sick sense of humor. Even stranger was the fact that Tron seemed to know where all of the traps were set and was able to deactivate them with ease. Had he been there for the first time, there was no way he would have known where all of the secret switches were kept. Paradox simply shrugged it off, though, realizing he was basically choosing between the hell of the desert or being deceived by this young boy. Should the time arrive where he had to defend himself, after all, he would need to recuperate his strength. Narrowing his eyes coldly, Paradox resolved himself to go along with whatever awaited him up ahead until the time was right.

Another 30 minutes were spent deactivating traps before Tron finally led Paradox to an inner chamber deep within the castle. It was then that Paradox met the mysterious man for the first time. To be honest, it could hardly be described as a man. What Paradox witnessed was a mass of energy defying gravity before his very eyes. This energy was a deep black, lined with a green so intense that it was difficult for Paradox's unadjusted eyes to glance at. Squinting through his fingers, Paradox noticed the energy appeared to be trying to take on a human form, coming together as something that vaguely resembled a human face. Paradox mustered up his strength and engaged the cloud of black energy in conversation. "Who are you? Is it true you can help me escape this world?"

The energy hissed a laugh in response, overlooking Paradox and turning to look over toward Tron. "Excellent work, Tron," the blob screeched, its voice something akin to a mix of an ordinary man's mixed with that of a lion's roar. The creature's voice was incredibly high-pitched, so much so that Paradox found it hard to refrain from covering his ears with his dried out hands. Tron heaved a laugh in response to the energy's comment, while at the same time walking over to Paradox so he could place his hand on his shoulder. "You were right. This man is quite interesting! To think he could survive the desert for so long without giving into the thirst and hunger, not to mention the heat." Tron's eyes lit up wickedly as he continued. "Maybe he really is chosen just as I was."

"What are you talking about?" Paradox finally cut in, pushing Tron's hand away. "I knew you were planning to betray me, but I had no idea you'd reveal your true colors the moment we arrived here. What exactly do you want with me?"

"You seem to have misunderstood," the energy cloud hissed. "Tron didn't bring you here to betray you. Getting all worked up is _terrible _for your health, you know. Then again, speaking of health in this world is so utterly trivial." The creature gave a chuckle before continuing. "You were chosen by the Barian World, and that is the reason you are here today." Paradox noticed a flash of red that almost looked like a pair of beady eyes before they vanished again. Paradox scoffed, closing his eyes in annoyance. "Chosen? What a joke. The reason I survived so long in the desert is because my body is infused with that of a metallic form. I do not require food or water to survive, but I do still feel the pain of thirst and hunger. In other words, I only suffer in ways no ordinary human could comprehend." The energy gave another chuckle, its gas-like body winding around Paradox like a snake. "I know all about you, Paradox," the distorted voice said in a near whisper. Paradox's expression shifted slightly, his eyes widening. "How did you know my name?" he asked, viewing Tron from the corner of his eye. The boy had not spoken his name, and the two just met two hours earlier.

"I know all about you," the energy responded, its face-like features floating right before Paradox's own face. "I also know Z-one, Antinomy, and Aporia as well. I know all about the future you've come from and the _present _you just came from as well." The creature flashed its red eyes briefly again as it spoke, and the green areas of its form glowed intensely as its voice grew more energetic. "Oh, Paradox, if only you knew the, uh…events you are yet to even experience. But there's no need to worry, my dear friend, for we are going to send you back so you can experience these events for yourself."

"What the hell are you going on about?" Paradox attempted to brush the gas being away, but his hand merely passed right through. The gas being gave a sadistic, distorted laugh as Paradox made contact with it. "Now that you've touched my form, I can share with you these events that are yet to come. By the time this vision finishes, you'll gladly put your life on the line for our cause." Paradox felt a strange sensation, one so bizarre that no word could possibly describe it. It was almost as if raw data and images were being jammed into his head. Paradox was unable to utter a sound as countless scenes played instantaneously through his mind. He stood frozen in place, his hand still within the gas body, and his eyelids flickering unnaturally.

Beside the immobilized scientist, Tron gave a wicked chuckle. "So I take it we're ready to put the plan into motion, eh? How much longer do we have?" The energy, still making contact with Paradox, stretched its body so it was closer to the boy. "I can't be absolutely certain, but there is a man on the other side currently relaying information to me. It is only a matter of time before the door to the Astral World is opened. Once that happens…"

"…the Numbers will be released into the human world, right?" Tron finished, a gleam flashing in his eyes. "So, Faker should be making his move right about now as well. Are you going to pay him a visit?"

The spiritual being laughed before responding. "Once I get out of here, he will be my first visit. As we planned, you'll visit the old perverted geezer. I hear he escaped Barian on his own a little while ago in the most _disgusting_ way possible. A method suitable for someone like him, I might say." Tron's grin widened as he watched Paradox's shifting features. "Just you wait, Dr. Faker," the boy said in a hushed voice. "Paradox will be the key to my revenge against you. A being that transcends time itself, the one man who will connect these three crucial time periods into one. I can hardly stand the wait!"

Paradox could barely make out Tron's words accompanied with a long-winded laugh, but he was in no position to ask what the two were talking about. Frozen as he was, all he could do was let the scenes play out until their end. And what vile scenes they were. If Paradox could gag at this point, he most certainly would. To think someone who witnessed the end of Earth could be so disturbed by some of the events he was witnessing…

**BREAK**

**Present Day – Neo Domino City – Ark Cradle**

Yusei and Ruka listened to Paradox's experience with wide, horrified expressions. Paradox finally looked back up to glare into their eyes as he took a pause from his story. "What I witnessed that day far transcended the future I experienced or even the pending devastation that will befall this city."

"To think such a world exists…" Ruka looked away from the man with sad eyes, feeling sorry for his suffering despite him being an enemy. Yusei noticed this and placed his hand on her shoulder, still locking eye contact with his opponent. "If what you're saying is true, then you should be fighting against Z-one, not alongside him! What exactly did you see?!"

Paradox lowered his gaze briefly, grasping his right arm with his free left hand. "Explaining all of these events to you would take far too much time. Though I'm still not sure how, I received decades worth of events in the course of ten minutes. What I can tell you," Paradox continued, his expression hardening and his voice darkening, "is that a future is coming decades from now that far surpasses anything we are experiencing now. These events will be more devastating then all of this. And the trigger of those events are you Signers and Z-one!"

Yusei and Ruka shared a collective gasp. "Z-one is as well? Aren't you fighting for him?" Yusei asked, sweat now visible on the side of his cheek. Paradox shook his head, his eyes growing colder with each word he muttered. "My first task is to eliminate you Signers from this world and seal that power within myself! Once that is accomplished, I will personally dispose of Z-one for the sake of the future using the power acquired from all of you!" Paradox raised his arm so he could point at the two speechless Signers. "Such power is too dangerous to rest in the hands of fools who can't appreciate the danger of the coming future and the Momentum they worship! Using the power of the Signers, I will kill Z-one and acquire his position as the head of Yliaster! Once I do, I will finally have enough power to become a Number Hunter!"

"Number…Hunter?" Ruka repeated, unsure of what he was talking about. "What is that? And how will you become one by killing us and Z-one?" Paradox dropped his arm and raised his Duel Disk, signaling that the time for talk was over. "I have no obligation to explain myself to a couple of fools who are about to disappear! Let's continue your funeral as the last remaining Signers!" Paradox raised his forearm to reveal the Signer birthmarks of Crow, Aki, and Jack. Yusei and Ruka were, as expected, rendered shocked by this sight. "That's impossible!" Yusei shouted. "How could you have absorbed the Signer birthmarks?!"

"Like I said," Paradox replied with a smirk. "I have no obligation to explain myself to the likes of you! Hurry and get back to your positions so I can finish killing you!"

Yusei gritted his teeth, realizing they had no choice but to continue Dueling for now. He turned to Ruka, who was visibly shaking from the stress of it all. "Ruka," Yusei said quietly, grabbing her attention. "I know how kind-hearted you are, but this man is our enemy. You have to push aside your feelings of hesitation and fight alongside me to save our friends, your brother, and this entire city." Ruka slowly looked up at the older teen with worried eyes as he spoke. "While we're wasting time here, the Ark Cradle is plummeting. There are still three Planetary Gears remaining, and none of them are in this room. Which means…" Yusei trailed off momentarily as he returned his gaze to Paradox. "…regardless of what this man says, he's not an enemy we can afford to waste too much time against." Ruka nodded slowly, regaining perspective. "I understand. Let's work together to defeat him so we can move on, Yusei."

Paradox watched the two Signers get back into position in front of their holographic Monsters on the field. A wide grin came to his face as he listened to them conversing, which soon broke into sadistic laughter. "I'm an enemy you can't afford to waste too much time against? I should be the one saying that to _you_, Yusei Fudo!" Paradox's face twisted psychotically as he went on. "Compared to Z-one, you and your friends are nothing but wiggling maggots! I'll show you just how meaningless you really are in front of me!" Paradox raised his arm and snapped his fingers. Yusei and Ruka froze, expecting something to happen, but were taken aback when nothing did. "What did you just do?" Yusei asked, growing a bit uncomfortable with the sudden silence. "Just wait a moment," the mad scientist said, an evil gleam shining in his eyes. "It's coming…_now_!"

Within the very same second Paradox finished his sentence, an object shot out of one of the walls, accompanied by two others traveling toward different destinations. Before Yusei and Ruka could process what was happening, they felt a sharp pain enter through their legs that knocked the wind out of them. Over on Paradox's end, he suffered the same sudden impact despite not looking too fazed by it.

"What…did you just do to us?" Yusei grunted, now on one knee. Beside him, Ruka was just barely getting back to her feet. Paradox gave another laugh despite being hit by the same object. "What I just injected you with is a powerful poison made from the venom of over 20 of the world's most poisonous animals! But it's too early to be frightened," Paradox said twistedly as he observed the frightened expressions on his opponent's faces. "Because if you don't defeat me within the next 30 minutes, this poison will completely paralyze your body and eat away your organs from the inside out! Only the last Duelist standing will get access to the antidote while the others die a slow, painful death!" Paradox tilted his head back, enjoying maniacal laughter as he lifted both of his arms. "And after absorbing your Signer powers, there's no way you'll ever defeat me!"

Yusei looked over at Ruka, who naturally looked terrified by this. Yusei cursed under his breath, knowing Ruka's body was especially fragile. He knew they had to end this quick. Never mind 30 minutes. He wasn't sure if her body would even hold out that long. Even so, he knew he would need to work together with her in order to accomplish this task. "Stay with me, Ruka!" he pleaded, calling out to her in a concerned voice. "No matter what tricks he pulls, we have to stay strong and defeat him!" Ruka knew what he said was right, but she couldn't stop her arm from shaking.

**BREAK**

Yusei felt a wave of anger wash over him as he watched Ruka's frightened trembling, but he knew now was not the time or the place for such emotions. Suppressing his rage, Yusei placed his hand over his deck as he turned his gaze over to Paradox. "My turn! Draw!"

**[Yusei's LP: 4000]**

Yusei swiped a card off the top of his deck, briefly looked at it, and added it to his starting hand which now held six cards. "I Summon the Tuner Monster, Blue Expense Falcon, in Attack Mode!" Yusei declared as he slapped the Monster Card down onto his Duel Disk's Monster Zone slots. Appearing in front of Yusei on his field was a rather large winged creature that held a human form while maintaining a pair of blue-feathered wings. With a high-pitched screech, the blue bird-man was ready for action.

**[Blue Expense Falcon: LV2/800/800]**

"When this Monster is Summoned successfully," Yusei started to explain, "I can Special Summon one Level Four or lower Dragon-Type Monster from my hand!" As he spoke, Yusei removed another card from his hand and slapped it onto his Duel Disk. "I Special Summon Star Bright Dragon in Attack Mode!" Yusei's second dragon lit up like a star in the sky, illuminating the dark corners of the room behind Yusei and Ruka. Giving a mighty flap of its wings, the new dragon flashed its teeth.

**[Star Bright Dragon: LV4/1900/1000]**

"With Star Bright Dragon on the field, I can target a Monster on the field other than this card and increase its level by two until the turn's End Phase! The Monster I select is Blue Expense Falcon! Blue Expense Falcon changes from a Level Two to a Level Four!"

**[Blue Expense Falcon's LV: 2 - 4]**

Paradox's smirk did not fade as he anticipated Yusei's next move. As if he was answering his anticipation, Yusei raised his arm in the air as he declared his next move. "I'm Tuning my now Level Four Blue Expense Falcon with my Level Four Star Bright Dragon!" The field around Yusei came to life with a green energy that surrounded the two Monsters.

**(4+4=8)**

"Clustering wishes will become a new shining star! Become the path its light shines upon! Synchro Summon! Take flight, Stardust Dragon!" With a triumphant cry, Stardust Dragon's white-glowing body emerged from the light, accompanied by a threatening screech.

**[Stardust Dragon**: **LV8/2500/2000]**

Paradox's expression remained unraveled as he eyed the mystical Signer Dragon. "To think you'd be so foolish as to actually play Stardust despite knowing full well what I'm capable of," he finally said in an arrogant tone.

"Paradox!" Yusei countered with a point of his finger. "We won't cower in fear of you! We'll defeat you and stop the Ark Cradle, no matter what tricks you throw our way!" Ruka watched Yusei, a look of admiration in her eyes. How could he maintain his cool even under circumstances like this? If only she could muster even half of his courage…

"Go, Stardust!" Yusei continued, nodding to his dragon. "Attack Sin Elemental Hero Wingman! Shooting Sonic!"

**[Sin Elemental Hero Wingman's ATK: 2100]**

Paradox could only stand in silence as Stardust's beam of white energy shattered his Fusion Monster knockoff, the blast colliding into his chest. Despite the pain, Paradox maintained his cool even as he was forced a couple of feet back.

**[Paradox's LP: 4000 - 3600]**

"Not too bad," the scientist grunted, hand clasped over chest. "But your attack just triggered my Trap Card! Sin Tune!" Paradox gave a flick of his wrist as he brought his face-down card into full view. "When a Sin Monster on my field is destroyed, I can draw two cards!" Yusei scowled as his enemy used his assault to his own advantage, drawing the two cards from the top of his deck and adding them to his hand. "I set three cards face-down!" Yusei then called out, attempting to fortify his own position in power over the field. Ruka continued to watch Yusei in both awe and depression, still attempting to calm her nerves despite the danger of their situation. Just as Yusei let his arm drop to his side, he felt a sudden dizzy spell creep out of nowhere that nearly caused him to lose his balance. Grasping the side of his skull with his free hand, Yusei blinked rapidly as he attempted to realign his now doubled vision. Ruka noticed Yusei's sudden change in demeanor and attempted to come to his aid when she too became dizzy and unstable. The petite girl lost her footing and fell onto the ground.

"What's wrong?" Paradox snickered, his eyes flashing like a snake. "Don't tell me you two are feeling the effects of my poison already. Surely you Singers can't be _this_ weak!" Paradox placed his hand on his hip as he chuckled at his own comment.

**BREAK**

Yusei rubbed his temple, which succeeded in slowing down the dizziness. He cursed under his breath, realizing Paradox wasn't bluffing as he had hoped. Whatever he and Ruka were injected with must have been very potent for it to start affecting them this quickly. As Yusei straightened his posture, he turned to view Ruka, who was lying face-first against the dusty floor. "Ruka! Stay with me!" he called. Unfortunately for Yusei, attempting to rush to her aid only hastened his dizziness. Yusei knew this needed to end quickly not for him, but for Ruka's sake. She had always had a weaker body since birth, so whatever Yusei was feeling now was probably far worse for the young girl. "Ruka…!" Yusei stopped when he saw the girl's small hand rising above her collapsed body. "I'm okay…Yusei. Just give me a minute to regain my strength. Just focus on the…Duel." Yusei balled his hand into a fist, his anger growing by the second as he turned to Paradox. "How could you do something like this?! Your grudge should be against me, right?! Why did you need to drag Ruka into this as well?!"

"What an absurd thing to ask," Paradox quickly answered, his smirk fading into a frown. "Is this girl not your friend? Is she not a fellow Singer who chose to oppose Yliaster?" Yusei narrowed his eyes, a dark glare dominating his expression. "Of course she is! That's all the more reason! How can I just stand here and watch her suffer like this?!" Yusei's glare softened a bit, his voice taking on a more pleading tone. "Just give Ruka the antidote! There's no reason for her to have to experience this!" Ruka lifted her head just enough so she could see the concern in Yusei's eyes. "Yusei…"

"How noble," Paradox said with a shrug. "But I'm afraid I can't do that. After all, this is a Duel meant to show you and your friends the true meaning of helplessness." Paradox's eyes grew as cold as ice as he uttered those chilling words. "Just as I wandered the Barian World, desperately clinging to life, the two of you will experience the sensation of standing before Death's door." Yusei could only grip his arm in absolute rage at this statement, his fingernails digging into his flesh and scratching his skin in the process. "It all begins now, Yusei Fudo!" Paradox said, placing his hand over his deck. "My turn! Draw!"

**[Paradox's LP: 3600]**

"I activate the Magic Card, Sin Selection, from my hand!" As Paradox inserted the card into his Duel Disk, the space around Paradox's field lit up a navy blue. "Sin Selection, as long as I have a Sin Monster on my field, allows me to destroy one Magic or Trap Card on the field! Naturally, I destroy Sealing Swords of Light!" Paradox pointed toward Ruka's field, the navy blue light entering into Ruka's Duel Disk and deactivating the spell she had casted on the field during her first turn. The shining swords above Paradox shattered into nothingness, freeing his Monster. "Did you think such a pathetic spell would bind me for three whole turns?" Paradox's chilling glare moved toward Ruka's glazy eyes. The girl, still sprawled out on the floor, could muster up no response.

"Then," Paradox continued, slapping a card onto his Duel Disk, "I Special Summon Sin Blue-Eyes White Dragon by sending Blue-Eyes White Dragon from my deck to the Graveyard! Attack Mode!" The mighty dragon, once under the command of the famous Seto Kaiba, now wore a black and white mask that covered its head and its wings.

**[Sin Blue-Eyes White Dragon: LV8/3000/2500]**

The dragon unleashed a roar that almost sounded sad in nature. Paradox couldn't help but smirk at the dragon's resistance. "Thanks to the unusual time flow of the Barian World, I have somehow been able to keep the Monsters I collected throughout the various ages. Using my powerful servants, I will dispose of you two Signers right here and become a Number Hunter!" Paradox brought his arm up to his chest as he ordered his new dragon. "Go, Sin Blue-Eyes White Dragon! Attack Sunlight Unicorn!"

**[Sunlight Unicorn's ATK: 2500]**

"Don't!" Yusei protested, but his voice fell on deaf ears. "Let this be your first lesson!" Paradox cried. "Burst Stream of Destruction!" Sin Blue-Eyes unleashed a mighty beam of white lightning that crashed down onto Ruka's field. Just as Yusei thought her unicorn was a goner, the girl opened her mouth and managed to speak. "Trap Card, open…! Horn of the Phantom Beast!" Both Paradox and Yusei stopped in their tracks as Sunlight Unicorn's horn shined a valiant crimson red. "Horn of the Phantom Beast increases the Attack Power of a Beast-Type or Beast-Warrior-Type Monster by 800 points! I selected Sunlight Unicorn!" Ruka's comeback move caught Paradox off guard, and the scientist quickly realized that it was too late to stop Blue-Eyes' attack.

**[Sunlight Unicorn's ATK: 2500 - 3300]**

Ruka's unicorn counterattacked, sending a beam of red light that dispersed the Burst Stream. Sin Blue-Eyes was shot down in the counter, disappearing in a series of black flames that rained down on Paradox's field. He could only click his tongue in annoyance at the scene. "To think you still had some fight left in you, girl…!"

**[Paradox's LP: 3600 - 3300]**

"Ruka!" Yusei called over to her as the girl managed to get back to her feet. "Are you sure you're okay?" Ruka took a deep breath before she finally managed a response. "Don't worry about me, Yusei! Just as Paradox said, I'm your friend and a fellow Signer. I won't let myself hold you back." Ruka forced a smile despite her pain, and Yusei was able to tell that she was only bluffing. "Just don't force yourself…" Ruka's smile softened as she mentally thanked Yusei for caring. She quickly regained her serious composure as she continued with her counterstrike. "When a Monster equipped with Horn of the Phantom Beast destroys a Monster in battle, I can draw one card from my deck." As Ruka drew her card, she thought of her brother and her other fallen friends. "_Rua… Everyone…" _she thought to herself. _"No matter what happens, we'll defeat Paradox and save you all!" _

Paradox knew he lost the advantage here. With Ruka's powered up Sunlight Unicorn now dominating the field with its 3300 Attack Points, that left Yusei's Stardust Dragon and Paradox's Sin Guardian Eatos. Both Monsters held 2500 Attack Points and were equal in strength. It would be pointless to send the two to destroy each other. Moreover, Paradox had other plans for Stardust and defeating it in battle would not suffice. "I set a card face-down and end my turn." As Paradox's set card appeared on the field, Yusei was beginning to notice something about the android that seemed out of place given their current situation. Was it just his imagination?

"It's my turn!" Ruka called as she drew a new card.

**[Ruka's LP: 4000]**

"I activate Sunlight Unicorn's effect! Once per turn, I can reveal the top card of my deck. If it's an Equip Magic, I can add it to my hand. If it's not, it goes to the bottom of my deck." Ruka revealed the top card of her deck, an Equip Spell called Mage Power. "Because it is an Equip Spell, I can add it to my hand." After doing just that, Ruka continued on with her turn. "I Summon the Tuner Monster, Sunny Pixie, in Defense Mode!" A tiny fairy no bigger than Ruka's already small hand appeared above her, entering into a defensive stance.

**[Sunny Pixie: LV1/300/400]**

"Go, Sunlight Unicorn!" Ruka declared with a raise of her arm. "Attack Sin Guardian Eatos!" Sunlight Unicorn gave a neigh as it galloped toward the defending Guardian Monster, once belonging to Raphael of the Doma trio.

**[Sin Guardian Eatos' ATK: 2500]**

**[Sunlight Unicorn's ATK: 3300]**

As it unleashed a red beam from its horn, a card on Paradox's field suddenly flipped face-up. "Trap Card, activate!" Paradox countered. "Sin Divine! When my opponent's Monster attacks a Sin Monster on my field, this card activates and becomes an Equip Card! The attacked Monster cannot be destroyed in battle as long as this card remains face-up on the field! Nice try, little girl, but you won't best me twice in a row!" Despite Ruka's dismay, Sunlight Unicorn continued charging toward its enemy. "Even so," Ruka protested through weakened pants, "you still take 800 points of damage!"

"Don't be so sure of that," Paradox shot back with a grin. "I activate the effect of Sin Guardian Eatos! By sending one Equip Spell equipped to this Monster to the Graveyard, I can Banish up to three Monsters from my opponent's Graveyard! By doing so, Eatos gains 500 Attack Points for each until the End Phase! The reason I activated Sin Divine wasn't to defend, but to attack, for it is treated as an Equip Spell as per its effect!" Yusei's jaw dropped when he heard this effect, and rightfully so. "Banish your opponent's Monsters to increase its Attack Power?!" Ruka, looking defeated, let her arm sink back by her side. "No way…"

"I Banish Blue Expense Falcon and Star Bright Dragon from Yusei's Graveyard to increase Sin Guardian Eatos' Attack Power by 1000 points! Soul of the Sacred Sword!" As Paradox announced the name of the technique, Eatos' sword lit up a vibrant white. The souls of Yusei's two Monsters entered the sword and increased its power.

**[Sin Guardian Eatos' ATK: 2500 - 3500]**

Paradox gave a lengthy cackle as Sunlight Unicorn approached Eatos. "Little girl! Now your Monster will be destroyed instead because you were too much of a fool to not activate Mage Power! Had you done so, Sunlight Unicorn would have gained 500 Attack and Defense Points for each Spell and Trap you control!" Ruka realized he was right. If she had done so, Sunlight Unicorn would have gained 1500 Attack Points due to her controlling Mage Power, Horn of the Unicorn, and Horn of the Phantom Beast. That would have brought its Attack Power all the way up to 4800. In the heat of the moment, she was only thinking of gaining the advantage and was saving her Mage Power for Ancient Fairy Dragon. She was about to pay the price for her mistake. Paradox continued laughing as Ruka closed her eyes, waiting for the destruction of her unicorn.

The field fell silent suddenly, and Paradox looked around him in confusion. "What the…?" When he saw Sunlight Unicorn had stopped its attack, his eyes widened. "What is the meaning of this?!" Paradox shot his gaze over to Yusei's field where, to his shock, two of his face-downs were now activated. "You were so busy trying to bully Ruka," Yusei started in a low-pitched voice, "that you failed to even pay attention to the cards on my field." Paradox began to sweat as he recognized the cards on Yusei's field and instantly figured out what was going on.

"That's right," Yusei said with a smirk. "The first card I activated is a Trap called Reinforce Truth. This card allows me to Special Summon one Level Two or lower Warrior-Type Monster from my deck. I used this card to Special Summon Speed Warrior onto Ruka's field!" Paradox suddenly noticed Speed Warrior standing off to the side of Ruka's field. Both he and Ruka were too focused on Sunlight Unicorn to notice.

**[Speed Warrior: LV2/900/400]**

"Then," Yusei continued, "I activated Urgent Tuning, allowing me to Synchro Summon during the Battle Phase. By selecting Sunlight Unicorn as the target, the battle was stopped before it could be destroyed."  
>Yusei turned to a dumbfounded Ruka and gave her an approving nod. "Ruka, go ahead and call Ancient Fairy!" Ruka slowly nodded, realizing Yusei had just saved her. "Sorry! Here I go! I'm Tuning my Level One Sunny Pixie with Yusei's Level Two Speed Warrior and my Level Four Sunlight Unicorn!" Ruka's field lit up green as the three Monsters were encased in circles.<p>

**(1+2+4=7)**

"The sacred guardian's light crosses paths now and becomes eternal life! Synchro Summon! Be born, Ancient Fairy Dragon!" Ruka's Singer Dragon, a fairy with blue skin and pink fairy-like wings, hovered above the child on the field. Her green hair fluttered about as the female spirit looked down at Ruka with concern in her eyes. _**"I sense your life is in great peril, Ruka. Are you okay?" **_Ruka nodded, wiping the sweat from her forehead. "I'm fine. Don't worry about me. We have to focus on defeating the enemy standing before us!" Ancient Fairy slowly nodded, turning her gaze to a growling Paradox standing several feet away.

"When Sunny Pixie is sent to the Graveyard for the Synchro Summon of a Light-Attribute Synchro Monster," Ruka explained, I gain 1000 Life Points!" Warm fairy dust surrounded the girl, making her feel slightly better despite her decreasing health.

**[Ruka's LP: 4000 - 5000]**

Ruka looked over to Yusei and gave him a weakened nod before she continued with her turn. Yusie noticed that there were dark bags forming under her eyes, making it obvious that the poison was already taking its toll her on her body.

"I set a card face-down," Ruka continued, "and I activate the Equip Spell, Mage Power, from my hand and equip it with Ancient Fairy Dragon! This card increases the Attack Power of Ancient Fairy Dragon by 500 points for each Magic and Trap Card I control. I currently control my set card and Mage Power, raising Ancient Fairy's Attack Power by 1000 points!" Ancoent Fairy let out a screech as her body absorbed the energy from Ruka's field.

**[Ancient Fairy Dragon's ATK: 2100 - 3100]**

"Next, I activate Ancient Fairy Dragon's effect! Once per turn, I can Special Summon one Level Four or lower Monster from my hand! I Special Summon Illusion Fairy in Defense Mode!" A naked blue fairy with red hair and red wings appeared beside Ancient Fairy on the field, kneeling down in a defensive position.

**[Illusion Fairy: LV2/300/200]**

"Also," Ruka continued with a raise of her hand, "Ancient Fairy Dragon can destroy one Field Spell once per turn! I'll destroy Sin World!" Yusei smiled at Ruka's move, knowing full well this would give them the advantage. With Sin World out of the picture, there was no way Paradox would be able to defeat them with non-Sin cards. "Plain Back!" As Ruka announced the name of the technique, Ancient Fairy Dragon emitted a black light from her body that targeted Paradox's field. Just as Ruka was about to breathe a sigh of relief, the wide smirk on Paradox's face shattered her illusions of victory. "Did you think I would challenge you Signers without knowing the effects of your dragons? After some modifications, I made it so that Sin World is unable to be destroyed by Card Effects! What a pointless move that was!" Ruka felt her dizziness return as she lost her adrenaline, and she closed her eyes in defeat. "Turn end…"

"So you've fallen to cheating now…?" Yusei grumbled in annoyance, glancing over at Ruka yet again to see her increasingly weakened state becoming far more obvious. "I'm going to end this, Paradox! My turn! Draw!"

**[Yusei's LP: 4000]**

Swiping a card off his deck, Yusei's eyes met with Paradox in a stare down that seemed to last for eternity. Paradox's lips shriveled into a scowl as he returned the gaze, flashing his sharp, white teeth in the process. "I activate the Magic Card, Junk Tool Box, from my hand!" Yusei continued, activating the card he had kept in reserve up until this point. "By discarding one Junk Monster from my hand, I can draw cards equal to its level!" Yusei selected the card he just drew, the last card in his hand, and slid it into the Graveyard Slot. "I discard the Level Five Junk Collector! This lets me draw five cards!" Yusei held the cards up out in front of his face as he analyzed them. "I then discard the same number of cards! In other words, I discard the five cards I just drew!" Ruka placed her finger on her now-pale lips, not following what Yusei's purpose was. Paradox held a similar expression, and he scoffed arrogantly. "What a ridiculously pointless move. Has the poison eaten away your brain cells as well, Yusei Fudo? What good will drawing new cards do you if you toss them away into the Graveyard the second you get them?!"

"Oh, they'll help me more than you think," Yusei said in response, forcing a smile to his strained face. "Thanks to the Trap Card on my field, Power of Fellowship!" Paradox raised an eyebrow, obviously not sure of the card's effect. "I've never even heard of such a card. You seem awfully confident in it, so enlighten me on what it does." Yusei's smirk widened slightly before he opened his mouth to speak again. "Power of Fellowship can only be activated when I control a Synchro Monster on the field. It allows me to Banish any number of Tuner Monsters from either player's Graveyard whose total levels equal that of the targeted Synchro Monster on my field. I can then inflict damage to my opponent equal to the combined level of the Banished Tuners and increase the Attack Power of the targeted Synchro Monster by the same amount!"

Paradox's expression was obviously distraught by the time Yusei finished his explanation of the card. "Then…the reason you played Junk Tool Box…" Yusei nodded, his brows lowering and his expression hardening. "That's right! I Banish the two Tuner Monsters I just discarded to the Graveyard, the Level Three Junk Synchron and the Level Five Quick Synchron, whose total levels equal the Level Eight Stardust Dragon! By doing so, Paradox, you take damage equal to their combined eight levels times 200! That's 1600 points!" Paradox gasped as a blast of energy manifested from the card and rammed him straight in the chest. The force from the assault sent the android sliding several feet away from the field and screaming in agony all the way there.

**[Paradox's LP: 3300 - 1700]**

"In addition to that, Stardust's Attack Power increases by 1600 points!" Stardust let out a screeching roar as the same energy that blasted Paradox entered into its body.

**[Stardust Dragon's ATK: 2500 - 4100]**

Paradox gritted his teeth, sweat now visibly appearing on his tightened face overcome by shock. "4100 Attack Points with a mere Card Effect?!" Yusei wasted no time ordering his dragon into combat as he lifted both of his arms. "Go, Stardust Dragon! Attack Sin Guardian Eatos! Shooting Sonic!"

**[Sin Guardian Eatos' ATK: 2500]**

"Don't think you'll defeat me that easily, Yusei Fudo!" Paradox raged, countering Yusei's fierce expression with a pair of beady, blood shot eyes. "I activate the effect of Sin Guardian Eatos! I Banish Sunlight Unicorn and Sunny Pixie from the girl's Graveyard as well as your Speed Warrior to increase the Attack Power of Guardian Eatos by 1500 points!" Both Ruka and Yusei felt their Duel Disks being forced into the air as the spirits of their Monsters were absorbed by the masked angel's sword. "Forbidden Gospel!"

**[Sin Guardian Eatos' ATK: 2500 - 4000]**

"It still isn't enough!" Yusei shouted, pressing on despite his effort. "Strike the guardian down, Stardust!" In response to its master's order, Stardust increased its power and blasted a hole right through Eatos and her sword, striking Paradox down in the process. The scientist grunted in pain as the blast hit him dead on, his eyes bulging and his teeth clenched hard against each other.

**[Paradox's LP: 1700 - 1600]**

"Turn end!" Yusei cried, finally allowing his arms to rest at his side. He appeared pleased with his efforts, but it still wasn't enough. Yusei felt another wave of dizziness, his body obviously breaking down due to the poison, but he did his best to maintain fierce and in control. No matter what, he would not allow Paradox to see him struggling. More importantly, he had to stay strong for Ruka's sake, who was now breathing heavy and showing signs of severe fatigue. Her eyes were droopy and glazed over. Despite all of this, she flashed Yusei a very fragile smile as he looked over in her direction that made him feel guilty all over again.

"Not yet…" Paradox's strained voice cut in, grabbing the two's attention. "You can't defeat me with your cheap tricks, Yusei Fudo…" Paradox walked back over to his position in his now empty field, holding a venomous, warped expression on his face. Ruka felt as if Paradox was a snake cornering two rabbits at this point, and it made her shudder. "During the End Phase in which Sin Guardian Eatos is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon Guardian Deathscythe from my hand or deck in Defense Position!" Yusei and Ruka watched as a demented being formed in front of them on the field. Its long, unkempt, straw-like hair covered its empty, red eyes.

**[Guardian Deathscythe: LV7/2500/2000]**

"What you are witnessing is the darkness of one man's heart trapped within the form of a card. During my travels through the various dimensions, I stole both of these cards from a man with the abilities to communicate with Duel Monsters spirits like that girl Signer over there." Paradox pointed to Ruka as he spoke. "Needless to say, the effects of this card aren't quite the same out of the hands of its master. Under normal circumstances, this creature seizes control of the field, preventing its controller from Summoning any Monsters. But in this case, this being has become my loyal servant and won't dare to lay a finger against me." Paradox's wicked grin intensified as he explained this.

"A man with the ability to see the spirits of Duel Monsters?" Yusei asked out loud, turning to look over at Ruka. "I had heard that there were others like Ruka and Judai-_san_ in our history…" Paradox gave a chuckle at Yusei's comment, looking fiercer and more intense with each passing second. Yusei lost his train of thought as he felt another wave of the poison messing around with his insides. Though he made good progress this turn, he was also frustrated that it was taking so long to defeat this person…or android. As much as he hated to admit it, it took the help of Judai and Yugi to beat him the last time, and as much as he respected and liked her, Ruka was no comparison to those two in terms of her Dueling prowess. In fact, even Yusei himself may not have been in the same league as those two legends. As Yusei's thoughts swirled around in his head, he continued to fixate on one point in particular; the same thought that crossed his mind earlier.

"Why are you not being affected by the poison…?" Yusei muttered, feeling his own voice slipping away from him. He had adrenaline on his side earlier, but even that was beginning to fail him at this point. He knew that if his older body was giving out on him this badly, poor Ruka must be suffering three times worse at this point. In contrast to the two beings slowly decaying from the inside out, Paradox looked perfectly fine. No, Yusei would even swear that he looked _better _than before the match began.

"How amusing that you would even ask me such a thing," Paradox finally replied with a wicked tongue. "Did you feel reassured earlier when I injected myself?" Paradox started to burst out in laughter as he shrugged his shoulders. "How naïve! What kind of idiot would poison themselves with a poison they weren't immune to?!" Paradox continued to laugh as both Singers managed to glare back at him, slowly but surely losing all of their stamina. "In fact," Paradox continued, his smirk ear to ear, "thanks to these birthmarks I absorbed from your friends, I'm feeling _better than ever_ right now."

"Damn you…" Yusei muttered through his now blue lips. "You set this up from the very beginning so we never had a chance…" Paradox gave another cackle before responding in his eerie voice, "I like to think of it as _battle strategy _to ensure I get _exactly _what I want." Paradox turned to look at the far opposite end of the room where Yusei and Ruka noticed a wide video monitor cropped against the wall. "What…the?" Ruka squeaked in a barely audible voice. "Was that monitor here the entire time?" Through his triple vision, Yusei made out the figure of a small, masked boy on the video monitor watching him with glassy eyes. "There's a person on the screen?! What's going on here, Paradox?!"

"_Oh! It seems we've been discovered!" _Tron, who was apparently watching the entire time from the video monitor on the other side of the dark room, was accompanied by the same mass of energy Paradox met earlier. _"And here we were being so quiet, too…" _the spiritual energy complained with a sigh. _"Oh well. You can't win 'em all, you know? You may as well explain to our…guests here what exactly is going on, Paradox." _The shadows of the room covered the screen, but Yusei could make out the lining of Tron's face as well as the glowing mass floating behind him.

Paradox's grin widened, if it was even possible to stretch any further at this point. "I wouldn't want to take away so much of their _precious time_," Paradox said sarcastically, "but I suppose I'll offer a quick explanation." Paradox turned back so he was facing the dying Signers. "You see, the two of you are going to serve as a final trial of sorts for me. Once those two witness my strength, they'll have no choice but to make me a Number Hunter! Once I obtain the power of the Numbers, I'll be able to change this world in a way Z-one could never even _dream_ of!"

"_So he boasts," _Tron giggled, _"but he's getting knocked around quite a bit, isn't he? Wow! He hasn't even landed a single blow, has he?! Not even on the little girl!" _Tron burst out into obnoxious laughter, rolling back in his chair. The spirit mass beside him scoffed arrogantly as well. _"I sure hope you've got more to offer than _this_, Paradox. I had such high hopes for you, so don't disappoint me."_

"Just you two keep watching!" Paradox cried, waving them off with his arm. "I haven't even gotten _serious_ yet!" Paradox's eyes flashed a murderous shine as he placed his hand over his deck.

"What are these Numbers they keep talking about…" Yusei wondered out loud. He then stopped himself, reminding himself that this wasn't the time for such things. Not only his life, but Ruka's prioritized, Yusei needed to end this match as soon as possible. The girl was unable to speak at this point, barely standing. She must have been standing on willpower alone at this point. Yusei wanted to stare daggers into Paradox, but he couldn't muster the strength to do so.

**BREAK**

"My turn!" Paradox finally announced, swiping a card from his deck. "Draw!"

**[Paradox's LP: 1600]**

"I activate the Magic Card, Sinful Greed, from my hand!" Paradox inserted the card, whicn manifested a masked green jar in front of him. "By Banishing a Sin Monster from my Graveyard, I can draw two cards from my deck! I Banish Sin Elemental Hero Wingman from my Graveyard!" the Elemental Hero's spirit faded from the Graveyard, becoming sealed within the masked pot. As the pot opened, Paradox was given authority from his Duel Disk to draw his two cards. Once he viewed his new cards, his grin stretched to inhuman proportions. "This farce ends now! It's time for those Singer Dragons to meet the same end as your friends!" Yusei and Ruka looked disturbed by his words, but were too weak to offer any resistance at this point.

"I activate the Magic Card, Sinful Seal!" Once activated, two black strands scurried across the field and latched onto both Stardust Dragon and Ancient Fairy Dragon respectively. "Wh-What's happening…?" Ruka muttered softly, her eyes widening. Yusei had a brief flash of the previous incident his Stardust was stolen when Paradox first appeared in Neo Domino City. This naturally invoked panic within his gut, and he forced his vocal cords enough to address Paradox. "Don't tell me you plan to…!"

"That's right!" Paradox answered immediately, his voice sounding arrogant and dominating. "This card allows me to Banish two Synchro Monsters on my opponent's side of the field and add two equivalent Sin Monsters from my deck to my hand! Now that I've absorbed your Signer Dragons, I've been able to create the Sin Cards within my deck! I had two blank cards waiting among the deck for this occasion!" Paradox cackled profusely as both Stardust and Ancient Fairy were absorbed within the card he held in his hand. At the same time, two black cards manifested in his hand.

"Ancient Fairy…!" Ruka squeaked, attempting to raise her voice but failing miserably. She reached her hand forward sadly as her beloved dragon disappeared into Paradox's seal. "How could you…?!" Near her, Yusei balled his hand into a fist. Though he was weak, clear anger emitted from his eyes as he stared Paradox down. "Do you really think you'll get away with this, Paradox?!"

"I already have!" Paradox shot back as his voice doubled in volume. "But I have something else to play at the moment! I Special Summon Sin Armed Dragon by Banishing Armed Dragon LV7 from my deck!" Upon his command, a new masked dragon clad in iron armor stampeded the field with a roar.

**[Sin Armed Dragon: LV7/2800/1000]**

"I then activate Sin Armed Dragon's effect!" Paradox continued. "By discarding a Sin Monster from my hand, I can destroy all the Monsters on my opponent's side of the field with Attack Power equal to or less than the Attack Power of the discarded Sin Monster!" Paradox turned his sight to the weak fairy kneeling in front of Ruka. "Little girl, you'll feel the sting of your own beloved dragon! Engrave in your mind the feeling of betrayal!" Ruka's glazy eyes went wide as Paradox showed her the Sin Ancient Fairy Dragon he held in his hand, slowly sliding it into his Graveyard slot. "I discard Sin Ancient Fairy Dragon to destroy the Illusion Fairy on your field, whose weak Attack Points hardly match up to the Fairy Dragon's 2100! Now perish!" Sin Armed Dragon sent a sound wave that shattered Ruka's last line of defense into nothingness. Ruka felt the pressure from the blast and nearly lost her balance.

"But I'm not done yet!" Paradox continued. "I switch Guardian Deathscythe into Attack Mode! Go, Deathscythe! Attack Yusei Fudo directly! Forbidden Requiem!" Deathscythe gave a demonic shriek as it lunged toward Yusei with its scythe. Yusei braced himself for the impact, but stopped when the attack was repelled by an invisible light wall. "What?!" Paradox raised an eyebrow as he realized his attack had failed.

"I activated a Trap Card…!" Ruka cut in, doing her best to stay with the flow of the situation. "Twinkle Wall! This card lets me negate an attack during the opponent's Battle Phase. In exchange, I take damage equal to half the total Attack Power of the attacking Monster…" Yusei gasped as Ruka was blasted by her own card, bringing her to her knees. Ruka, now short of breath, stared down at the dark floor in pain as she felt dizziness incomparable with all the others overtake her.

**[Ruka's LP: 5000 - 3750]**

"Ruka!" Yusei called out to her, obvious concern flashing in his eyes. "You didn't have to do that!" Ruka raised her hand to silence her older friend, turning slowly to offer him a weak smile. "It's okay, Yusei… I won't let you die like Sherry said you would." Ruka turned her eyes away to stare down at her shaking hands. "To be honest, I don't think I'll be able to make it through the rest of this Duel. I'm only going to slow you down at this rate. At the very least… I want you to win so you can save Rua and the others…"

"Don't talk like that!" Yusei cried, running over to the girl to pull her back up on her feet by the sleeve of her pink hoodie. "No matter what, we're going to survive this! You can go see Rua yourself!" Ruka stared into Yusei's eyes for several seconds before starting to tear up. "I'm sorry," she muttered softly, her tears dripping down her cheeks. Yusei patted the girl's head, then smiled to himself as he walked back to his side of the field. "I know you're scared, Ruka. I swore I'd protect you no matter what, didn't I? Just be strong for me and hang in there until I get the antidote!" Ruka nodded as she forced herself back onto her feet. "It won't be easy, but I'll manage somehow... I won't let you fight him alone."

"Such pointless struggle," Paradox grumbled while Deathscythe returned in front of him. "Because of Twinkle Wall, I can't activate any Magic or Trap Cards for the rest of my turn, so I end my turn without doing anything else." Paradox's smirk returned despite his annoyance as he looked both of his enemies right in the eyes. "You talk big, but let's see if you can really turn this situation around as quickly as you say."

On the video monitor, Tron gave an amused laugh as he watched the situation unfold. _"This Yusei character reminds me an awful lot of Kazuma, always going on and on about friends." _Beside him, the black mist chuckled to himself as he fixated on the two Signers. _"The Singers never change, not in the past, the present, or the future. Acting as if having a friend by your side is enough to alter your fate." _Tron turned to his smoky companion with a curious expression. _"You sound like you've met the Signers before. Is that true?" _The spiritual residue merely scoffed his comment off. _"That hardly makes a difference, boy. Mind your manners and focus on the Duel." _

"My turn," Ruka announced as she drew her card. To her utmost dismay, the card she drew was Horn of the Unicorn. She nearly forgot this during the commotion, but the card automatically returned to the top of her deck when it was sent to the Graveyard during the Synchro Summoning of Ancient Fairy Dragon. If Ancient Fairy were still present, this would be most fortunate for her. Without the dragon, however, the card was a hindrance and prevented her from drawing a card that could actually defend herself. Ruka cursed her words mentally, talking about helping Yusei when she couldn't even do anything. "I set one card face-down. Turn…end."

"Couldn't even do a thing despite all that talk?" Paradox spoke Ruka's thoughts as her card manifested, adding salt in her mental wounds. "How pathetic!"

"Don't listen to him, Ruka," Yusei cut in, offering her a smile. "I believe in you." Ruka silently nodded as Yusei inserted the card he just drew into his Duel Disk. "I set a card face-down and end my turn!" It pained Yusei to admit it, but they were going to have to survive through another of Paradox's turns before they could turn the tables. Between both of their set cards, Yusei had confidence that they could pull it off.

"My turn!" Paradox erupted in diabolical laughter after looking at the card he just drew. "You're probably betting everything on those two set cards of yours, but allow me to shatter your foolish delusions right here and now! Stare into the face of true reality!" Paradox inserted his card into his Duel Disk as he spoke. "I activate the Magic Card, Sin Switch! This card allows me to Banish a Sin Monster on my field and Special Summon a Sin Monster from my deck with a level equal to or less than the Banished Monster!" Paradox raised both his arms, motioning toward a stream of black energy rising in front of him. "I Banish Sin Armed Dragon in order to Special Summon the Level Seven Sin Black Rose Dragon from my deck in Attack Mode!"

"Wh-What did you say?!" Yusei croaked with his dry throat. Beside him, Ruka narrowed her hazy eyes. "So you really did steal Aki-_san_'s Black Rose…"

"Behold the form of betrayal as the loyal servant of your friend shatters the last hope you had left!" Sin Black Rose Dragon, a masked red dragon with wings in the appearance of flower petals, emitted a massive roar that targeted every other card on the field.

**[Sin Black Rose Dragon: LV7/2400/1800]**

"When Sin Black Rose Dragon is Special Summoned, it can destroy every card on the field, including itself! Let's have a look at the last of your hope, shall we?!" Yusei's card was revealed to be the Trap Card, Stardust Rebirth, a Trap Card that would have negated an attack and Special Summoned Stardust from the Banished Pile. Similarly, Ruka's Trap Card was Spiritual Sacrifice, a card that would have allowed Ruka to negate an attack by Banishing a Plant-Type or Fairy-Type Monster from her Graveyard and then draw one card. "As I thought, but your cards are now meaningless!" As Paradox clenched his fist tightly, both cards were shattered into digital dust, leaving both Duelists staring in horror at their current situation. Black Rose Dragon self-destructed after using this effect, and Sin World was unaffected due to its immunity to destruction.

"Then," Paradox continued, "I Special Summon Sin Red Demon's Dragon by Banishing Red Demon's Dragon from my Extra Deck!" Jack's Ace Monster appeared in front of Paradox, a white and black mask concealing its face.

**[Sin Red Demon's Dragon: LV8/3000/2000]**

"So you're going to sit by and let our friends' Monsters do all the work...?" Yusei asked through gritted teeth. "You're a coward, Paradox!" The mad scientist merely snorted at Yusei's remark, waving him off nonchalantly. "You're the cowards who couldn't find the courage to let go of your Synchro Monsters, so I don't want to hear that from you!" Paradox's eyes flashed excitedly as he continued speaking. "Besides, it's not like I'm not willing to fight with my own two hands! Behold the extension of my arms and legs, the dragon holding the same name! I Summon Sin Parallel Gear in Attack Mode!" Yusei gasped as a creature holding the appearance of a gear appeared out on the field. "That's…" Yusei began to sweat as some unpleasant memories of his previous encounter with Paradox came flooding back into his head. He jolted his head over to Ruka's now empty field, fear suddenly plaguing his face.

**[Sin Parallel Gear: LV2/0/0]**

"I've made some modifications since our last Duel," Paradox said with a cruel grin. "The new Sin Parallel Gear allows me to Synchro Summon a Sin Monster using one Sin Monster from my hand! I'll be putting the Stardust I stole from you to good use!" Paradox taunted Yusei by flashing the Sin Stardust card. "A Level Ten Monster?" Ruka asked nervously, showing obvious signs of her terrified state. "That's right!" Paradox confirmed in his twisted tone. "I'm Tuning the Level Two Sin Parallel with the Level Eight Sin Stardust Dragon! Stardust, become fodder for the lord of time-space!"

**(2+8=10)**

"O Darkness born from the dimensional rifts, pull the curtain of ruin on this stage beyond time and space! Synchro Summon! Sin Paradox Dragon!" The massive dragon was three times as big as even Red Demon's, its mighty shadow engulfing all three players easily. Ruka's eyes went dark as she stared into the demonic eyes of the dragon with virtually nothing protecting her from it. Yusei knew there was nothing to be done here. With 4000 Attack Power, this dragon could blow either of them away with one breath.

**[Sin Paradox Dragon: LV10/4000/4000]**

"_Not too bad, Paradox," _Tron said over from the video monitor. _"I like your ferocity and your manipulation of time. Now show us what you're capable of!" _

"Of course," Paradox replied, his lips curling into a devilish smirk. "I'll end this immediately and claim their birthmarks! And I'll start with…" Paradox raised his arm toward Ruka, showing her no mercy in his stone cold eyes. "…the girl! You'll perish before Yusei Fudo and make him suffer the same agony we did!" Yusei's eyes widened as the reality of the situation weighed in. "I told you to leave Ruka out of this! This is between you and me!"

"No, this involves all of you Singers! I will not discriminate against age or gender! I'll drag all of you down without a moment's hesitation!" Paradox's eyes went bloodshot as he continued his boastful rant. "Once you've suffered, I'll send you to join her and the rest of your friends! Go, Paradox Dragon! Spatial Stream Burst!"

Ruka felt her mind go blank as the massive stream of energy headed toward her. Was everything going to end for her right there? Would she and her friends fail to stop the Ark Cradle from destroying the lives of countless citizens down below? These questions echoed in the back of the young girl's mind, but she felt herself unable to answer them. Closing her eyes, she mentally apologized to her brother, her other friends, and Yusei…

Ruka waited for the decisive moment, but it never came. Her eyes still shut, she could still hear the sound of the coming attack, but she felt nothing. As she slowly opened her eyelids, a look of horror took over her face as she saw the back of Yusei shielding her. His back was unscathed, but his arms and the side of his face she could just barely make out were charred black from the enormous amount of energy currently clashing against his body. "Yusei…!" the girl mumbled, unable to get the words out completely. Yusei stood, his eyes shadowed and his skin raw and bleeding, shielding the young girl and accepting the blast of energy being emitted from Paradox Dragon head-on.

**[Yusei's LP: 4000 - 0]**

"Tch," Paradox grumbled with a click of his tongue. "So you want to be the first to die, do you? Very well!" Paradox's eyes went crazed and veiny as he lifted both his arms out in front of him. "Forget the poison! Blast Yusei Fudo straight off the edge of this Ark Cradle!" Paradox Dragon increased the force of its attack, slamming Yusei's now limp body past Ruka and toward the corner of the room. Ruka forced her poisoned body to run after him, but the light of the energy stream revealed an area of the room with no floor. Yusei's body was sent falling through this gap, into the depths of the darkness below.

"I don't know where the pit leads, but I suspect you'll be falling for a long time!" Paradox tilted his head back and laughed it up. "Use that time to regret your foolishness before you enter the afterlife!"

Ruka clasped her hands over her mouth, her eyes filling with fresh tears. "Yusei! No!" Ruka, her back still facing Paradox, felt the poison paralyze her movements as she reached out in futility.

"_You die if you come to the Ark Cradle," _Sherry's ominous words filled Ruka's ears, her tears tripling in volume. "Because of me?!" As the massive dragon took its place by Paradox's side, a shiver crept down Ruka's spine as she heard Paradox call out to her. "Don't think you're off the hook either, girl! Even if you can't move! I still have an attack left! Go, Red Demon's! Burn a hole right through the child's back! Blazing Crimson Hell Flare!" Before Ruka had time to react, she felt a stream of fire enter through her back, blasting her lifeless body right to the edge of the ledge that just swallowed Yusei up.

**[Ruka's LP: 3750 - 750]**

"Feel the burning sensation of despair, child! Will you give in to the poison first or die by my hand?! Either way, you have no future!"

Ruka toppled over in pain, her entire surroundings fading from her now empty eyes. Did the poison paralyze her, or was her entire body in shock? Either way, the young girl could not move a muscle in her body, no matter how much she screamed in her mind. Just as Ruka abandoned all hope, something happened that words could not describe. Within the deepest corridors of her subconscious, she felt a warmth like nothing she had ever felt before awaken inside of her. The feeling was akin to a flame being smothered out by the wind, only to restore itself. It was in this moment, crossing the threshold between death and life, when Ruka heard the voice.

_**"Are you willing to let it end like this?"**_

The voice was feint, softer than the lowest whisper. Yet it was also loud and booming at the same time. Ruka could barely make out the meaning behind the words, yet she somehow knew what the voice was saying.

"_Who are you?" _Ruka asked in her mind, not hearing an answer. In that split second, Ruka felt her consciousness fade into white.

Paradox laughed away as he watched his forearm containing the other Singer marks in anticipation. "It's only a matter of time before the final two Singer birthmarks are mine. When that happens…" Paradox's voice trailed off when he looked back over at Ruka. His eyes widened and his jaw hung wide open when he saw the once motionless Ruka now facing toward him on her feet. Something was far different about her, though, and Paradox was able to sense this immediately. The girl's body was emitting a powerful aura like nothing he had ever felt before. Her eyes were rolled back in her head, and her face was expressionless. "Im…Impossible…" Paradox muttered through clenched teeth. "There's no way you can be standing… What the hell is the meaning of this?!"

Tron joined Paradox in his confusion, rubbing his chin curiously at the sight he was witnessing. _"Well, well, what a surprise. What could she be up to?" _Behind Tron, the floating energy cloud chuckled to itself. _"So this is when it first activated, huh? That's pretty interesting…" _Tron looked up at the energy mass with questioning eyes. _"What exactly do you mean by that?" _

Paradox took several steps back as Ruka, still lost in her own little world, began chanting something inaudible underneath her breath. As she did, Paradox noticed the ground beneath her shoes transforming into grass. At the same time, Paradox felt grass emerge beneath his own feet. "What the hell is this?!" Spinning around him, Paradox gasped in horror at the sight of towering trees and other various plants emerging from seemingly out of nowhere. Paradox noticed Yusei's unconscious body behind Ruka, which only added to his confusion. "That can't be…! There's no way Yusei Fudo could still be here!"

"_**Evil one," **_Ruka muttered in a very low-key voice that held traces of her own, but also contained several other voices as well, _**"you will now be judged by the Spirit World." **_

OOooooOOOOoooooooOOOOOOOOOOo oooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOO

**What is this strange phenomenon?! **

**To be continued in Chapter 7: "Awakening"**

**List of cards used (in order of appearance):**

**Blue Expense Falcon**

**WIND**

**Level 2**

**Winged Beast/Tuner/Effect**

**800/800**

**When this card is Summoned, you can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower Dragon-Type monster from your hand. This card cannot be used as a Synchro Material Monster, except for the Synchro Summon of a WIND monster.**

**Star Bright Dragon (TCG: Bright Star Dragon)**

**LIGHT**

**Level 4**

**Dragon/Effect**

**1900/1000**

**When this card is Normal Summoned: You can target 1 face-up monster on the field, except this card; increase that target's Level by 2 until the End Phase.**

**Stardust Dragon**

**WIND**

**Level 8**

**Dragon/Synchro/Effect**

**2500/2000**

**1 Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner monsters**

**When a Spell, Trap, Spell/Trap effect, or Effect Monster's effect is activated that destroys a card(s) on the field: You can Tribute this card; negate the activation and destroy it. During the End Phase, if this card negated an effect this way during this turn: You can Special Summon this card from your Graveyard.**

**Sin Elemental Hero Flame Wingman**

**DARK**

**Level 6**

**Warrior/Effect**

**2100/1200**

**This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card can only be Special Summoned by sending 1 "Elemental Flame Wingman" from your Extra Deck to your Graveyard. When this card destroys a monster by battle and sends it to the Graveyard, inflict damage to your opponent equal to the ATK of the destroyed monster. If "Sin World" is not face-up on the field, destroy this card.**

**Sin Tune (OCG: Malefic Tune)**

**Trap**

**If a face-up "Sin" monster you control is destroyed: Draw 2 cards.**

**Sin Selection**

**Spell**

**Activate only when you control a Sin Monster on your field. Select one Spell or Trap card on the field and destroy it.**

**Sealing Swords of Light (TCG: Swords of Revealing Light)**

**Spell**

**Flip all monsters your opponent controls face-up. This card remains on the field for 3 of your opponent's turns. While this card is face-up on the field, monsters your opponent controls cannot declare an attack.**

**Sin Blue-Eyes White Dragon (TCG: Malefic Blue-Eyes White Dragon)**

**DARK**

**Level 8**

**Dragon/Effect**

**3000/2500**

**This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card cannot be Special Summoned except by sending "Blue-Eyes White Dragon" from your Deck to your Graveyard. If "Sin World" is not face-up on the field, destroy this card.**

**Sin Guardian Eatos**

**DARK**

**Level 8**

**Fairy/Effect**

**2500/2000**

**This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card can only be Special Summoned by Banishing 1 "Guardian Eatos" from your Deck. You can send 1 Equip Spell Card equipped to this card to the Graveyard to remove from play cards from the top of your opponent's Graveyard until you reveal a non-Monster Card. This card gains ATK equal to the total ATK of the monsters removed by this effect, until the End Phase. When this card is destroyed by battle, you can Special Summon one Guardian Deathscythe from your Deck in Defense Position to your field. You can then equip one Reaper Scythe - Deathscythe from your Deck to it. If "Sin World" is not face-up on the field, destroy this card.**

**Sunlight Unicorn**

**LIGHT**

**Level 4**

**Beast/Effect**

**1800/1000**

**Once per turn, during your Main Phase, you can reveal the top card of your Deck. If it is an Equip Spell Card, add it to your hand. If it is not, place it on the bottom of your Deck.**

**Horn of the Unicorn**

**Equip Spell**

**The equipped monster gains 700 ATK and DEF. When this card is sent from the field to the Graveyard: Return it to the top of the Deck.**

**Sunny Pixie**

**LIGHT**

**Level 1**

**Spellcaster/Tuner/Effect**

**If this card is sent to the Graveyard for the Synchro Summon of a LIGHT Synchro Monster, gain 1000 Life Points.**

**Sin Divine**

**Permanent Trap**

**Activate only when your opponent's Monster attacks a Sin Monster on your field. Equip this card to the targeted Sin Monster; the target cannot be destroyed by battle as long as this card remains face-up on the field. This card is treated as an Equip Spell. **

**Mage Power**

**Equip Spell**

**The equipped monster gains 500 ATK and DEF for each Spell and Trap Card you control.**

**Reinforce Truth**

**Special Summon 1 Level 2 or lower Warrior-Type monster from your Deck. You cannot conduct your Battle Phase the turn you activate this card.**

**Speed Warrior**

**WIND**

**Level 2**

**Warrior/Effect**

**900/400**

**During the Battle Phase of the turn you Normal Summon this card, you can double its original ATK until the end of the Battle Phase.**

**Urgent Tuning**

**Trap**

**Activate only during the Battle Phase. Synchro Summon 1 Synchro Monster. (Send the appropriate Synchro Material Monsters to the Graveyard.)**

**Ancient Fairy Dragon**

**LIGHT**

**Level 7**

**Dragon/Synchro/Effect**

**2100/3000**

**1 Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner monsters**

**Once per turn, you can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower monster from your hand. You cannot conduct your Battle Phase the turn you activate this effect. Once per turn, you can destroy a Field Spell Card. If you do, gain 1000 Life Points, and you can add 1 Field Spell Card from your Deck to your hand.**

**Illusion Fairy (TCG: Dreamsprite)**

**LIGHT**

**Level 2**

**Plant/Effect**

**300/200**

**When attacked by your opponent's monster, select another 1 of your Monster Cards and designate it as the attack's target, then calculate damage.**

**Junk Tool Box**

**Spell**

**Discard 1 "Junk" monster. Draw a number of cards equal to its total level. Then discard an equal number of cards from your hand. **

**Power of Fellowship**

**Trap**

**Activate only when there is a face-up Synchro Monster on your side of the field. Select a number of Tuner Monsters in either player's Graveyard whose combined level(s) equals the level of the targeted Synchro Monster and Banish them. Then inflict damage to your opponent equal to the combined level of the Tuner Monster(s) removed by this effect x200 and increase the ATK of the targeted Synchro Monster by the amount of damage inflicted to your opponent.**

**Guardian Deathscythe **

**EARTH**

**Level 7**

**Zombie/Effect**

**2500/2000**

**This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card can only be Special Summoned from your hand or Deck in Defense Position when "Guardian Eatos" is destroyed. When Special Summoned by this effect, you can equip this card with 1 "Reaper Scythe - Dreadscythe" from your hand or Deck. You cannot Summon or Set monsters. If this card would be destroyed (either by battle or by card effect), you must discard 1 card instead.**

**Sinful Greed**

**Spell**

**Banish one "Sin" Monster from your Graveyard. Draw two cards from your Deck. **

**Sinful Seal**

**Spell**

**Select up to two Synchro Monsters on your opponent's side of the field. Banish the selected targets to add two equivalent "Sin" monsters from your Deck into your hand.**

**Sin Armed Dragon**

**DARK**

**Level 7**

**Dragon/Effect**

**2800/1000**

**This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card can only be Special Summoned by Banishing 1 "Armed Dragon LV7" from your Deck to your Graveyard. Discard 1 "Sin" monster from your hand to send all monsters your opponent controls whose ATK is less than or equal to the ATK of the discarded "Sin" monster's to the Graveyard. This effect can only be used once per turn. If "Sin World" is not face-up on the field, destroy this card.**

**Sin Switch**

**Spell**

**Banish one "Sin" monster you control. Special Summon 1 "Sin" monster from your Deck with a level equal to or less than the Banished monster and ignore the summoning conditions.**

**Sin Black Rose Dragon**

**DARK**

**Level 7**

**Dragon/Effect**

**2400/1800**

**This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card can only be Special Summoned by Banishing 1 "Black Rose Dragon" from your Extra Deck. When this card is Special Summoned, you can destroy all cards on the field. Once per turn, you can remove from play 1 "Sin" monster from your Graveyard to change 1 Defense Position monster your opponent controls to face-up Attack Position, and reduce its ATK to 0 until the End Phase. If "Sin World" is not face-up on the field, destroy this card.**

**Sin Red Demon's Dragon**

**DARK**

**Level 8**

**Dragon/Effect**

**3000/2000**

**This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card can only be Special Summoned by Banishing 1 "Red Demon's Dragon" from your Extra Deck. After damage calculation, when this card attacks a Defense Position monster your opponent controls: Destroy all Defense Position monsters your opponent controls. During your End Phase: Destroy all other monsters you control that did not declare an attack this turn. This card must remain face-up on the field to activate and to resolve this effect. If "Sin World" is not face-up on the field, destroy this card.**

**Sin Parallel Gear (TCG: Malefic Parallel Gear)**

**DARK**

**Level 2**

**Machine/Tuner/Effect**

**When using this card as a Synchro Material Monster, the other Synchro Material Monster is 1 "Sin" monster in your hand.**

**Sin Paradox Dragon**

**DARK**

**Level 10**

**Dragon/Synchro/Effect**

**4000/4000**

**1 "Sin" Tuner + 1 non-Tuner "Sin" monster**

**When this card is Synchro Summoned, you can select 1 Synchro Monster in your Graveyard, and Special Summon it, ignoring the Summoning conditions. All face-up monsters your opponent controls lose ATK equal to the total ATK of all face-up Synchro Monsters you control, except this card. If "Sin World" is not face-up on the field, destroy this card.**

**Stardust Rebirth**

**Trap**

**Activate only when your opponent attacks with a monster. You can select one Stardust Dragon that is Banished or in either player's Graveyard and Special Summon it in face-up Attack Mode. Your opponent must designate Stardust Dragon as the attack target.**

**CREDITS**

**Story: GoldenUmi (Based off of the Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's anime plotline)**

**Writing: GoldenUmi**

**Duel Planning: GoldenUmi/sith50**


End file.
